Smug Bastard
by hazelmom
Summary: McGee sacrifices for those he loves.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This may end up being a frustrating read. I wanted to explore sacrifice and loyalty, but I didn't have a whole story. It's designed as a one shot. If I can find the rest of the story, who knows, but right now I am 30+ pages into another epic, and just trying to smooth out the kinks before I start posting. Love to hear from you, Sheila

Smug Bastard

Gibbs was surprised when he heard the creak in the stairs. It was 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning. He was sanding a new rocking chair for Leyla. He'd already finished it three times, but was reluctant to let it go. So he just kept doing the work over and over as he had no new projects on the horizon. He waited patiently for his guest to descend, and was surprised when the thin legs of Tim McGee appeared. McGee was not a regular visitor. He wasn't even an irregular. Gibbs could think of only two times he'd ever been to the house.

The young man slowly finished his descent and stepped onto the concrete floor. There was no greeting nor was there any of the stuttering that might accompany the fear that he was intruding. Instead, his youngest agent looked at him with the weariest eyes he'd ever seen. Gibbs stepped closer, hoping that the shadows in the dim lighting were to blame, but the closer he got, the more he could see the worry deeply etched into McGee's features.

Gibbs waited for him to speak but McGee was like a statue.

McGee was an interesting man. Gibbs could challenge his brilliant mind all day long and he never wavered. He absorbed Gibbs' impatience and short temper endlessly without ever losing faith in the man. But McGee had a breaking point. Gibbs saw it when his Grandmother, Penelope Langton, was involved in a case. When McGee dug his heels in, he could be as stubborn as Mike Franks. And despite the exhaustion on his face, it was clear from the resolve in step that his agent was going to do this on his own terms.

Gibbs grabbed a stool and sat, gesturing at the one next to McGee. McGee's eyes went where indicated, but the idea held no interest for him. He turned back to his boss. "Tony says you have bourbon down here. He says that sometimes you pour it in a dirty coffee mug for people."

Gibbs cocked his head. "Didn't think you liked bourbon."

"It's what I would imagine light fluid might taste like. Can I have some?"

Gibbs went over to his workbench, pulled down his bottle, grabbed the mug, dumped out the nails, and poured a finger's worth. He handed it to McGee who just stared at it for a few moments.

"Tim, something happened. I'm here to listen."

McGee shook the mug a little, and then threw his head back, dumping it all down his throat. His face settled into a grimace for a moment, and then he started gagging wildly. Gibbs got up, took the mug away, and led him to a stool. He disappeared up the stairs and returned with a bottled water. McGee took it and tried to wash the burn out of his throat.

"Feeling better?"

McGee looked up. "No. I don't think I ever will again."

Gibbs' impatience was starting to rise, and he had to temper himself to let McGee set the pace.

"Boss, I think someone is trying to hurt you. I think it's someone high up. Some one in DOD. Maybe someone in the Bureau or CIA. Or SecNav. Does SecNav dislike you?"

Gibbs kept his face impassive. Jarvis had been getting increasingly impatient by Gibbs' lack of deference for his position. It had been on more than one occasion that Gibbs had poked too close for the SecNav's comfort. He had the feeling that if he disappeared one day, Jarvis would receive the news with a wink and a nod. "What do you know, Tim?"

"Someone is trying to hurt people close to you. It's the only thing I can figure."

"I need details."

McGee chortled abruptly. "You're going to have to let me get this out my own way or it's not going to make any sense at all."

Gibbs saw that he clasped his hands tightly in his lap to control the trembling. "Okay. I'm listening."

"I don't hack, Boss. You don't like hacking, but I do penetrate firewalls to certain systems quite often during the course of an investigation. Sometimes, I forget that it's necessary to enter by the front door whenever possible. I like the challenge of a security system. Because I penetrate sensitive systems quite often, it has been necessary for me to write programs that cover my footsteps. I've also written programs that tell me when those sensitive systems have become aware of my unauthorized access. They tell me when those systems are snooping around my neighborhood."

"Hey McGee, if the Bureau or the DOD caught you with your pants down, it's okay. We'll talk to Vance, write a letter, and clear the whole thing up."

McGee narrowed his eyes and shook his head. For the first time, Gibbs saw moisture on his cheeks. "This isn't a simple breach of protocol."

Gibbs involuntarily shivered. The kid was really starting to scare him.

"I run these programs on Fridays before I go home. It lets me know if I've left a loose end. I ran it at 5 p.m. just as Tony and Ziva were going out for Sushi. I told them I'd meet them there in half an hour. Then I started looking at the results, and it told me that there'd been quite a crowd of cyber activity centered around me and Abby's lab. The FBI trail was especially heavy. It was really focused on Abby's computer. It made me nervous. I didn't understand why they'd be interested in Abs."

Gibbs nodded slowly.

"I hacked her system. She'd beat the shit out of me if she ever found out, but I don't care. I got in and I did some fishing."

"What did you find?"

McGee stared at the floor for a long moment. "She had some very sensitive data hidden in a corner. Missile codes. Very top secret. Treasonous information."

Gibbs' breath caught for a moment. And then he stood. "Do you think the FBI found it?"

"No, but I think someone told them that there was something worth finding on her computer. There was a lot of activity on her firewalls. Scared me bad. I didn't know what to do. I knew Abby didn't…I knew…somebody did this to her."

Gibbs started pacing. "We got to get it off the hard drive. Got to keep the FBI away."

"I'm way ahead of you, Boss. I found all this out 24 hours ago."

"What? You just got here now! What is the hell is wrong with you!" Gibbs was an inch from McGee's face, but there was no fear in the boy's eyes. They stared back at him, dull and tired. Gibbs stepped back. "What did you do, McGee?"

"I needed to think. Wasn't sure how close the Bureau was. I was worried there wasn't time to consult with you. I hacked into the US Attorney's office. Tony had me do it once to see how close the Bureau was to making an arrest on a case. I found an arrest warrant for Abby and a search warrant for her lab, sitting in the system just waiting for a Monday morning judge. They know what they're looking for. It scared me bad."

Gibbs leaned against his workbench.

"I can't picture it, you know. Abby's tough, but she's got such a love and a belief in her work. I kept thinking about them walking in to her lab Monday morning, and handcuffing her in front of everyone. I think it would destroy her spirit to have that happen."

"What did you do?"

"I erased her hard drive, but first I made a copy on a disk in case we need it in the future."

"Good." Gibbs said as McGee handed it to him.

"I tried to think like they did. How would they hurt her the worst? I thought about money. Would they plant money so it looked like she sold the missile codes? I spent all yesterday looking for the money. I almost gave up, and then I thought they might try to think like her. I hacked her favorite charities, and I found a "$50,000 anonymous donation given to Habitat for Humanity on Friday afternoon. It took me all afternoon to trace the money backwards, but I finally found it in a Kentucky bank in an account under her brother's name. I deleted the donation off the Habitat account and emptied the bank account. I was able to get a cashier's check, which by the way, is no easy feat on a Saturday afternoon for the full amount. The forensics accountant won't be able to trace the money to her now."

He pulled out a blue check and handed it to Gibbs. The total amount was for $100,000. "It's not safe in a bank, Boss."

"We need to get to Abby before the FBI does."

"I called Ziva six hours ago, and told her to find Abby and get her out of town. I told her it was on your orders."

Gibbs glared at him. "You sure have been doing a lot of independent thinking, haven't you?"

"I had to. You see, I can't guarantee that I've plugged all the holes, and I don't know what the Bureau has been told. There's only one way left to protect Abby. If I had talked to you, I don't know if you would've let me go down that road."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Tim."

"The FBI comes on Monday, and they find her hard drive erased and her gone. What are they going to think?"

"I'll talk to Fornell."

"Abby would be a lousy fugitive. She loves the world too much to hide from it."

"Enough already! What did you do?"

He shrugged. "I left my fingerprints everywhere. I'm talking cyper prints. They're going to find me all over that erased hard drive."

"You're not falling on your sword. If someone is trying to hurt me, then they can have me."

"I thought you would say that but it won't work that way. They won't be able to trace money to me. I made sure of that. They'll never be able to charge me with espionage. My story is that I got too cocky. Hacking became like a game to me. I'm going to say that I challenged myself to go farther and farther until one day, I pulled something top secret just to see if I could get away with it. I stored it on Abby's computer for my own safety. Then when I realized that the FBI was closing in, I knew I couldn't let her take the fall. We'll tell them that I'm in love with her. You'll say that you've been watching this reckless behavior escalate in me for months now. I've acted bored, disconnected to the team. I've been increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of appreciation I get for my efforts."

"Are you insane, McGee! We're not doing this." Gibbs turned away from him, his breathing ragged.

"I puzzled this through for two days, Boss. I could've let you handle it. Maybe you could've placated Jarvis. Maybe not. It's just that it's Abby. She can't be caged. I think it would destroy her."

"You spending your life in prison is the better compromise then?"

McGee looked at him for a long moment. "It's not what you want, but I think you can survive losing me a little easier."

"I need time to think."

"There isn't another endgame, Boss. I worked the angles all weekend. If they don't have someone new to chase, they're going after her. And they can't do that. What if I didn't find everything they planted? I have to lead them away from her. I have to take the hit on this one so she doesn't have to."

Gibbs' strong hands gripped the workbench and he shook it as hard as he could. Nails, wood, and tools flew everywhere. Then he dropped his head and let his chest heave.

"If you can figure out how to help me after I give myself up, that's good. But right now, I gotta' make this sacrifice. Once she is safely out of the line of fire, all bets are off. I'm not confessing to anything other than being a smug bastard and feeling unappreciated. They can do what they want with that. Maybe, it will buy you time."

Gibbs didn't respond.

"Boss, this is going to be real hard on my mom and dad. Please talk to them. Tell them some version of the truth so they don't blame themselves. Ziva will be upset. She's like my sister. But who I really worry about is Tony. He'll act out. He always does. Make sure he knows that it's not his fault. Make him understand that I never wanted to hurt him. Let Abby be mad at me. Let her think that I put her at risk. Her anger will keep her on her feet."

Gibbs rubbed at his face but he refused to face McGee.

"All that stuff about being unappreciated. It's not true. I don't feel that. I know I'm part of your family. You give me a little more space because you figure I already have great parents and 'cause I seem pretty level headed. I understand that. I know I can be a little annoying. I'm pasty and boring and…I'm not really your kind of agent…It's just that it's been such an honor…" McGee covered his mouth for a moment. "I've learned so much…You taught me about what it means to be a man…"

McGee let out a deep breath and stood up. "I don't want this to happen at work. I already called Fornell. My lawyer and I are meeting him at his office in a couple of hours. Don't be mad at me, Boss. There's going to be a long enough line as it is."

He turned and started up the stairs. He never heard Gibbs coming, but suddenly found himself pressed up against the basement wall. Gibbs was breathing hard in his face. "Listen to me, Tim. You were right to protect her. I understand it now. But let me illuminate you on a couple of other things. First thing, I can't stomach the idea of losing you any easier than I would Abby. Know that! Second, I promise that this will be temporary. I will find a way to fix this. That's a promise!"

McGee closed his eyes and his chin.

"I'm going with you to see Fornell. We're going with your story, but only for the time being. There is no endgame on this. You got it?"

McGee bit his lip.

He put a hand on McGee's face. "Marines don't leave their people behind. You hear me?"

"Thanks Boss."

"And I'm not going to let Abby be mad. I don't know what I'm going to tell her, but you'll need her."

"But that could compromise everything."

Gibbs shook his head. "You let me handle it. I don't want you to feel alone for a single minute."

"I got to do this now, Boss. I got to say good-bye to everything I love.

"I got your six, Tim. I'll bring you back home.

…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I thought it was a one shot, but I got caught up in what was to happen next so I am continuing to write. Hopefully, you'll continue to read. Let me know. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 2

"I know him. I know him so well that I can finish his sentences. I know when he isn't feeling well or when a woman breaks his heart. I know when he's spent the weekend writing or playing online games without asking him a single question. I can tell you things about him that he doesn't even know. He's from a seafaring family, Boss. Like all McGee's before and all McGee's to come, he will be drawn in to his white whale. He'll do anything to protect Abby; always has and always will. She is his white whale. Did you not think about that before you walked into the FBI with him? Did you not think that his reasoning on this might be blinded by his need to help Abby?"

Gibbs watched DiNozzo carefully. Tony had been pacing from the minute Gibbs began talking.

Tony stopped and pointed. "Now I get it! Maybe you didn't care. Maybe you were the one blinded by the need to protect Abby. I mean, come on! You couldn't have waited a day to check all the corners of this thing!"

Ducky looked at Gibbs while Tony ranted, but not a muscle on the Marine's face moved.

Tony picked up the bourbon Gibbs had poured for him, but his hands were shaky and it slipped through his fingers, crashing into pieces on the living room floor. For a moment, he just stared at the mess. Then he glared at Gibbs. "If we can't fix this, if we end up losing him because the two of you couldn't think straight, I will never forgive you."

Ducky started to rise. "Tony, sit down. We have to think this through."

Tony shook his head. "I need some fresh air." He turned and slammed the front door behind him.

For a moment, the two old friends sat in silence. Then Ducky looked up. "Is any part of what he just said true?"

"I don't know. I'd like to think it's not. I'd like to think I wouldn't sacrifice McGee for Abby, but he and I would both take bullets for her. I think, more than anything, we both knew we had to plug the leak before the dam broke. McGee needs to keep them occupied long enough for me to find out what the hell is going on."

"Can he do that effectively?"

Gibbs sighed and shook his head. "Hard to know. McGee is the worst liar I've ever known. Tony needs to get his ass back here so we can get to work."

"It's midnight on a Sunday. What do you hope to accomplish?"

"I've talked to Ziva. She has Abby in a hotel room somewhere in West Virginia with a laptop. Abby doesn't know the details but she's hacking all of our lives looking for unusual activity."

Ducky blinked. "You couldn't have asked?"

"She can find things you don't even know are there."

"Well, here's hoping she forgives my dominatrix fetish."

Gibbs gave him a sharp look, but Ducky rolled his eyes. "Jethro, I've never seen you look so vulnerable before."

"I can't second guess myself. In the morning, I'm going to look for Jarvis. He can have whatever he wants: a resignation, my confession, anything."

"You're so ready to fold."

"Duck, there were missile codes on her computer. A person caught selling information like that gets his face on the cover of Newsweek and then gets hanged as a spy and a terrorist. We live in a post 9/11 world. Nobody's going to ask too many questions. I will do whatever is necessary to get my people out of the way of this."

"Surely, Fornell understands this is a frame-up."

"He was as sarcastic as hell because he knows McGee is holding back. He likes the boy, and I pray that he can protect him until I get this figured out."

The front door opened and DiNozzo came in again. He looked at Gibbs. "You care about McGee. I know that. Sorry. I'll get a broom for the glass."

"Sit down and shut up for a minute."

Tony sank into a chair.

"You're in charge of the team, Tony. I'm going to Jarvis first thing in the morning to try and clear this up. If I don't come back, it's all on you to get Tim away from the FBI, and Ziva and Abby out of exile."

Tony scowled. "What do you think he's going to do to you?"

"I don't know."

"Has it occurred to you that this might be a little extreme for him? I mean, he doesn't even have access to missile codes, does he?"

"It's all I got. If we don't act quick, all of us are going to end up in Gitmo for the next nine months without lawyers. Who knows what we'll end up confessing to?"

Tony worried his lip for a long moment and then nodded.

Ducky shifted. "Then what am I doing here?"

"Duck, the only man in the world I know that keeps a cooler head in a crisis than I do is you. You need to keep us honest. You need to keep us from driving off the cliff."

"What do we until you can get to Jarvis?"

Gibbs was interrupted by a voice at his front door.

"You would get on the damn horn with the Director of NCIS."

Vance strode in, eyes blazing. "I just got back from the FBI building. What the hell is going on? McGee is disenchanted, hacking missile codes for fun, and then hiding them on Miss Scuito's computer. What the hell kind of joke is that?"

"You could've called and asked."

"Shut up, Gibbs! I call you, and all I'm going to get is a bunch of bullshit. I gotta' play the same game you do!"

Gibbs stood up. "Leon, all I know how to do is protect my people. You have to protect the agency. We have different goals."

"We shouldn't. Where is Scuito?"

Nobody said anything.

Vance nodded. "Just like I thought."

Silence reigned for a moment and then Vance did a surprising thing. He sat down across from Gibbs. "They're my people too. Who's behind this?"

Gibbs and Tony exchanged looks and then Gibbs leaned forward. "Jarvis?"

Vance let out air. "He thinks you are a royal pain in the ass, arrogant, and a cowboy. It'd make his day if you got run over by a bus. He don't like you, Gibbs, but missile codes…I don't think so."

"You got other enemies, Boss."

"Who else could get close to missile codes? I don't know any criminal masterminds with that kind of juice. We start with Jarvis 'cause that's all I got."

"I'm going to have to suspend the team."

Gibbs nodded. "Can you protect McGee?"

Vance looked down at his hands for a long moment. "I got bad news on that front. Army CID is taking over the case."

"No!" Gibbs stood. "Come on, Leon. You know people!"

"I talked to 17 different contacts this afternoon from the DOD to the White House. This is a terrorism case now. Plus, his father is an Admiral. They want McGee in a place where no strings can be pulled."

"Gitmo?" Tony asked quietly.

Vance shook his head. "No way to know. Once the Army gets him, he has no rights and no access to a lawyer until they decide otherwise. They're going to shred his current story in about three hours. They're going to turn him inside out until there's nothing left."

"What did I do?" Gibbs whispered.

"I asked myself that all afternoon. Honestly Gibbs, it was him or Scuito. As mad I am at you, you need to know that there was no good choice to make. You probably saved Miss Scuito from the same treatment he's going to get."

"I need to see Jarvis!"

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Gibbs."

"Who else could it be!"

"Seeing Jarvis isn't going to help! He doesn't like you. It could make things harder on McGee. I'll go see Jarvis."

"Leon, if he can help McGee, I'll do anything he wants. He can name it."

Vance chortled. "We better not let him dream. It won't go well for you. The next issue is Miss Scuito. You need to bring her in."

Gibbs shook his head. "I'm not handing her over to Army CID."

"I think we can protect her, Jethro."

They all looked up to find Fornell at the door. He stood in a trenchcoat, a coffee in hand.

"Private meeting, Tobias."

Fornell shrugged. "I'm not here in any official capacity. Just taking a late night walk and saw some lights on."

"You're giving him to CID."

"Did you imagine that it was a suggestion? The Joint Chiefs made it an order. Did you know that these codes point missiles at Israel?"

"He didn't do anything, Tobias."

"I know. He's a fall guy, and it breaks my heart about what he's going to have to face."

Tony stood up. "Can you find out where he's going?"

He chuckled. "You're kidding, right? I'm here for two reasons. First, I think we can protect Abby if she comes in and gives a statement that she had no idea that these codes were on her computer. She also has to admit that McGee is capable of hacking her system and a system as dense as what they have in the Pentagon."

"She's not going to do that," Tony said while looking at Gibbs.

"I don't think it's going to hurt McGee any more than he already is, and I think it's going to keep Abby out of their hands. Can you arrange it?"

"I don't know." Gibbs looked down at the floor.

"Would you prefer a massive manhunt where she will undoubtedly be caught? At which point, her guilt will be assumed."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll bring her in. I'm counting on you, Tobias."

Fornell nodded. "We have some work to do, my friend. CID has the investigation officially, but the FBI director wants us to keep our nose it. I'll be running it and you'll be my consultants."

"I can help a little, but we're going to have to do this off the grid," Vance said.

"McGee is scared. CID is coming for him in about 4 hours. I can get you in for a few minutes before then if you want."

Gibbs stood up.

"I'm going too." Tony grabbed his coat.

…

There was no clock in the room and McGee's phone, watch, and wallet had been taken. It seemed like days had passed since he and Gibbs had gone into Fornell's office with his story. Almost all of that time had spent in this room. Seven different people had interrogated him, and accused him of treason, espionage, and terrorism. They had attacked him personally, made accusations about his family, NCIS, and his team. No one offered him anything to drink or any food. The last time he remembered eating a meal had been on that Friday before his life dropped down a hole.

He looked up and saw an image of himself staring back. His hair was a mess and his eyes had dark circles under them. His suit coat was missing, and he couldn't remember when that happened or where it was. He stood up for a moment to stretch his legs and felt the tug of steel on his wrist. He looked down at the handcuffs and swallowed. He was a suspect in a crime against his entire country. Nothing in his world as the son of an admiral and an NCIS special agent could even remotely prepare him to handle an idea this atrocious.

He sunk back down into his seat and buried his face in his free arm. He had no tears. Hours into interrogation, he'd retreated somewhere deep inside himself, somewhere separated from his emotional life. The only feeling he could identify right now was despair.

The door opened and he lifted his head slowly to meet his newest inquisitor. He could barely register recognition before Tony rounded the table and knelt beside him. Tim saw Fornell and Gibbs at the door.

"You okay, Tim?" Tony looked him over and then glared. "Dammit it, Fornell. He looks like crap, smells like it too"

"You unfamiliar with how interrogation works, DiNozzo?"

"Tim, when did you eat last?"

McGee frowned down at Tony. "I don't remember. Can I have something to drink?"

Gibbs looked at Fornell. "Tobias."

"I'm not supposed to leave him alone with you."

"We all have to live with ourselves when this is over."

Fornell stared at Gibbs for a moment, shook his head, and left the room.

Gibbs didn't waste any time. He pulled up a chair next to McGee, reached over, and lifted his chin. "You holding up?"

"I'm a terrible liar. They don't believe anything I say."

"Yeah. Figured that."

"Abby safe?"

"So far."

He nodded and his body relaxed slightly.

"Tim, CID is coming for you."

McGee searched Gibbs' eyes. "That's bad, isn't it?"

"They are treating this as a terrorism investigation. We won't have any access to you."

His eyes widened.

"This is going to get much worse so I need you to listen to me. You have two choices. Your first option is to admit you've been lying. Tell them step by step exactly what happened and exactly what you did."

McGee blinked for a moment. "That puts Abby in a bad place."

Gibbs shook his head. "This thing is spiraling out of control. I understand your loyalty but you have to think about yourself now."

"What's the other option?"

"I prepared a letter for you to sign. You explain that you lied because you believe you are being framed, and you didn't want to implicate other innocent people. You are staying silent on advice of your counsel. It's the truth, McGee."

"Will it work?"

"It's a start. Army CID isn't going to treat you well. Interrogation will intensify."

"Then what's the point, Boss?"

"It gives us time to find out what happened. If we can get a handle on who really did this, we can help you."

Tim closed his eyes. "I won't implicate Abby, no matter what the consequences."

"Then you need to stop talking until I find a way to help you."

Tim started breathing fast. Tony rubbed his back. "You can do it, McGee. We're going to take care of this. I promise. We won't let you down."

"I trust you, Boss. I trust both of you."

"You need to trust yourself."

"I can't stop thinking about my family. This will destroy my father. I need you to talk to him, Boss. Please do that for me."

Gibbs nodded.

Fornell walked in with a bottle of water and tossed it to DiNozzo. "CID got here early. We got to get the two of you out of here before they find out you're here. They'll arrest you."

Tony opened the bottle for Tim. "Drink as much as you can. They'll probably take it away from you."

Fornell gestured impatiently from the door. "Hurry!"

Gibbs grabbed his chin. "I won't rest until your name is cleared."

Tony leaned over and unexpectedly kissed him on the forehead. "We're getting you back. I promise you."

Gibbs grabbed DiNozzo's arm and pulled him out of the room. McGee stared at the closed door, and wondered if he'd ever see another friendly face in this lifetime.

…

"I can't take it anymore. I know something very bad is happening, but I don't know what it is." Abby looked at Ziva, her green eyes teary.

Ziva stopped her pacing. "I don't know enough myself. All I have are orders to keep you safe. Until I hear otherwise, that's what I have to do."

"Not good enough!"

"Have you found anything unusual in our financials?"

She shrugged. "No. The only one with unusual activity is my account, and I know McGee hacked it. I am distinctly not happy about that. I am so telling Gibbs on him."

Ziva shook her head. "I don't know much, but I think he did it to protect you."

"Well, that doesn't make any sense at all."

"Abby, we must be patient!"

Knocking sounded on the door, and both women froze. Ziva pulled out her service weapon and slid along the wall until she could get her eye on the peephole. She relaxed visibly and unlocked the door. Gibbs and DiNozzo walked in. Abby jumped off the bed and ran into Gibbs' arms. "I've been so scared. I don't understand what's going on. Where's McGee? Did you know he hacked my accounts? I'm going to kick his ass."

Tony turned his head sharply at her. "Don't talk about what you don't understand."

Abby stepped back and cocked her head at Tony. He was never impatient with her. "What happened? Where's McGee?"

Gibbs gestured toward the bed. "Sit down, Abby. We need to talk."

….

"I won't sign it. I won't! I won't!" She took the pen that Gibbs handed her and threw it across the room.

The lawyer startled and got to his feet. Gibbs sighed. "Can you give us a few minutes?"

The man nodded and left the room. Abby held her arms tightly around her middle. She hadn't stopped crying since the hotel room, and was now reduced to heaving hiccups. "I won't hurt him like this."

"Abby, we have to keep you out of this."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Won't do it."

Gibbs hugged her tightly. "I need you to do this."

"No, Gibbs. I won't do it to him."

"Please Abby!"

Ziva became impatient and walked over to the two of them. "Gibbs, let me talk to her."

Gibbs seemed reluctant to let go, but Ziva was insistent, and soon she had Abby by the shoulders. "Look at me!"

Abby focused swollen, bleary eyes on her.

"You're going to do this, but not because it protects you. You aren't a little girl. We need you! You can help us save him, but in order to do that, you can't be sitting in an interrogation room. Do you understand me?"

She shook Abby's shoulders. Gibbs started toward them, but DiNozzo grabbed his arm. "Let her handle this. Ziva's right."

"I don't want to hurt him, Ziva."

"But you want to help him, right?"

Abby nodded.

"Then sign the document. It merely says that you don't know anything about the file found by McGee."

She swallowed. "It also says that I have seen McGee hack sensitive government material before."

"It's the only way to protect you."

"How will I be able to help him, Ziva?"

"Only someone very skilled at hacking would be able to do something like this. How will we find that person without you?"

Abby searched Ziva's strong, dark eyes for a few moments. Then she nodded, took the pen from the table, and leaned over the document.

….

It was sterile room with harsh lighting and institutional furniture. The only difference was that the CID guys played for keeps. Three of them rotated with him. One of them was an old Staff Sergeant named Gorman. The other two were civilian investigators like himself. They were named Sorenson and Mantel.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief when Sorenson was in the room. He was a man in his 40's who had a glint in his eye that reminded McGee of Gibbs. Some of his questions were the toughest, but McGee had the feeling that the man was really studying him rather than assuming his guilt.

Gorman was the worst. McGee suspected he'd taken correspondence courses with the KGB. He was a very skilled old time interrogator, and the moment they weren't being observed, McGee could count on a sharp jab to his left side. The old man kept catching him in the same spot, and McGee knew that it was only a matter of time before a rib caved. He also dropped a pile of books on McGee's right hand, pretending it was an accident with a profuse though insincere apology. Two of McGee's fingers had swelled purple, and moving them was excruciating. His only consolation was the man's assumption that he, like most people, was right handed.

McGee said nothing about Gorman's abuse nor did he flinch when he saw the craggy Sergeant entering the room. Weakness was his enemy now, and even an ethical investigator would use a sadist like Gorman when the stakes were this high. McGee didn't blame any of them for their accusations or their harsh tactics. In their shoes, McGee wouldn't have blinked if Tony had run a terror suspect into a wall. Gibbs was capable of reducing a man to a blubbering idiot. He had seen these tactics and never questioned them. Now, they were being applied to him, and something deep in his psyche had allowed him to be weirdly philosophical about it.

Agent Sorenson came in and sat down across from him. McGee eyed him warily.

"Tim, you say you're being framed."

"Yes sir."

"Do you believe your team will be looking for the real traitor?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you aware that they are suspended from all duties for NCIS?"

McGee swallowed. "No sir."

"How can they help you without the resources of NCIS?"

"I don't know, sir."

"They have no authority to question or detain anyone. You understand that, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Essentially, they are sitting around in their homes hoping they will keep their jobs."

McGee allowed the ghost of a smile. "You don't know my boss, sir."

"Oh, but I've heard of him. Special Agent Gibbs is sort of a legend in Armed Forces Law Enforcement."

"Yes sir."

"What do you think they're doing for you?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Speculate?"

McGee shook his head. "I can't imagine, sir."

"Your friend, Abigail Scuito, signed an affidavit which basically states she believes you are capable of the act of hacking sensitive government material."

Tim closed his eyes for a moment. It was exactly as planned, but the relentless interrogation and poor diet was catching up with him, and he worried for a brief moment that he was being abandoned.

"You thought she was your friend," Sorenson said smoothly.

McGee's eyes opened. "She is my friend."

"Tim, you are a loyal man. I truly believe that you think you are doing the right thing, but you're wrong. These people can't help you. Gibbs can't help you. In the end, everyone does what is best for themselves. It's human nature."

McGee said nothing. He stayed as still as possible.

"If you don't talk soon, Tim, decisions will be made for you. You will look back on this time and realize what a very bad mistake it was not to help yourself when you could."

McGee looked down at his hands.

"You hungry?"

Tim looked up at him but said nothing.

"Best I can do is a candy bar. Got a Snickers right here."

Sorenson pushed it across the table at him before getting up and walking out. McGee stared down at the candy. Empty carbs was all they were offering him. The sugar gave him a temporary high, and then he crashed. It kept him emotionally vulnerable. His gut ached for food, and his need for sustenance won out. He grabbed for it.

…..


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is a long, intense chapter because you have been such good readers and have shared your thoughts with me. I appreciate every single review I get. Please have a wonderful Easter if you are celebrating this year. I hope to hear from you. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 3

It was sterile room with harsh lighting and institutional furniture. The only difference was that the CID guys played for keeps. Three of them rotated with him. One of them was an old Staff Sergeant named Gorman. The other two were civilian investigators like himself. They were named Sorenson and Mantel.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief when Sorenson was in the room. He was a man in his 40's who had a glint in his eye that reminded McGee of Gibbs. Some of his questions were the toughest, but McGee had the feeling that the man was really studying him rather than assuming his guilt.

Gorman was the worst. McGee suspected he'd taken correspondence courses with the KGB. He was a very skilled old time interrogator, and the moment they weren't being observed, McGee could count on a sharp jab to his left side. The old man kept catching him in the same spot, and McGee knew that it was only a matter of time before a rib caved. He also dropped a pile of books on McGee's right hand, pretending it was an accident with a profuse though insincere apology. Two of McGee's fingers had swelled purple, and moving them was excruciating. His only consolation was the man's assumption that he, like most people, was right handed.

McGee said nothing about Gorman's abuse nor did he flinch when he saw the craggy Sergeant entering the room. Weakness was his enemy now, and even an ethical investigator would use a sadist like Gorman when the stakes were this high. McGee didn't blame any of them for their accusations or their harsh tactics. In their shoes, McGee wouldn't have blinked if Tony had run a terror suspect into a wall. Gibbs was capable of reducing a man to a blubbering idiot. He had seen these tactics and never questioned them. Now, they were being applied to him, and something deep in his psyche had allowed him to be weirdly philosophical about it.

Agent Sorenson came in and sat down across from him. McGee eyed him warily.

"Tim, you say you're being framed."

"Yes sir."

"Do you believe your team will be looking for the real traitor?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you aware that they are suspended from all duties for NCIS?"

McGee swallowed. "No sir."

"How can they help you without the resources of NCIS?"

"I don't know, sir."

"They have no authority to question or detain anyone. You understand that, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Essentially, they are sitting around in their homes hoping they will keep their jobs."

McGee allowed the ghost of a smile. "You don't know my boss, sir."

"Oh, but I've heard of him. Special Agent Gibbs is sort of a legend in Armed Forces Law Enforcement."

"Yes sir."

"What do you think they're doing for you?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Speculate?"

McGee shook his head. "I can't imagine, sir."

"Your friend, Abigail Scuito, signed an affidavit which basically states she believes you are capable of the act of hacking sensitive government material."

Tim closed his eyes for a moment. It was exactly as planned, but the relentless interrogation and poor diet was catching up with him, and he worried for a brief moment that he was being abandoned.

"You thought she was your friend," Sorenson said smoothly.

McGee's eyes opened. "She is my friend."

"Tim, you are a loyal man. I truly believe that you think you are doing the right thing, but you're wrong. These people can't help you. Gibbs can't help you. In the end, everyone does what is best for themselves. It's human nature."

McGee said nothing. He stayed as still as possible.

"If you don't talk soon, Tim, decisions will be made for you. You will look back on this time and realize what a very bad mistake it was not to help yourself when you could."

McGee looked down at his hands.

"You hungry?"

Tim looked up at him but said nothing.

"Best I can do is a candy bar. Got a Snickers right here."

Sorenson pushed it across the table at him before getting up and walking out. McGee stared down at the candy. Empty carbs was all they were offering him. The sugar gave him a temporary high, and then he crashed. It kept him emotionally vulnerable. His gut ached for food, and his need for sustenance won out. He grabbed for it.

…..

Jarvis looked at Gibbs and shook his head. "First, you have Vance come down and basically accuse me of espionage, and then you show up so you can look me in the eye yourself."

"I'm an arrogant bastard and you don't like me. I don't know anyone else close enough to get at that kind of material."

"So, your plan is to subject me to more accusations, and you think this will somehow help your agent."

"This isn't just about McGee. Somebody did this, and it wasn't my agent. By the time Army CID realizes this, something catastrophic might've occurred."

"Don't worry, Gibbs. All the codes for all the missiles were changed within an hour of McGee's confession."

Gibbs stood. "There is someone out there capable of getting that close. Do you understand that!"

"Sit down, Gunny. There's a reason you still have a job. You may resent authority and you certainly treat me like we went to bootcamp together, but you are the best at what you do and I always want to be surrounded by the best. Although in your case, you can surround me from a very great distance."

"Special Agent McGee didn't do this thing."

"What about Scuito? She's not an agent. She's undisciplined. Perhaps, there's a new boyfriend; someone who's manipulating her."

Gibbs shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Is that your loyalty talking?"

"I am who I am because I know people. I watch them. I get inside their heads. I've been around McGee and Abby Scuito for years, 60-80 hours a week. Neither of them did this. They have no appetite for fortune or notoriety. Ideologically, they are American through and through, and they feed off of helping people. Both of them have given up opportunities for money and advancement so they could be part of my team."

"If your instincts are so good, why are you so wrong about me?"

"Sir, you're a wild card. Power is a very dangerous drug and you're addicted to it. I haven't fed that need in you, and I've known for some time that there would be consequences."

Jarvis shook his head. "You're the wild card, Gibbs. My God, you have balls."

"What happens to me is at your discretion. My concerns right now are about my agent, National Security, and my team."

"Leon believes you. He also believes that McGee is incapable of these charges."

"Give us enough power to find the real spy."

"You understand how deep this has gone, Gibbs. The CIA is reporting that these codes were offered up for sale already. They believe that an Iranian group was in contact with the seller."

"The codes are useless now."

"But they show exactly where American missiles are pointed. That information is priceless. It could change our diplomatic relationship with our allies, particularly with Israel. We need to catch this bastard."

"Let me back into the building. We have work to do."

"Joint Chiefs will go ballastic if I allow that. You and your team are going to have to work off the grid. Leon and I will protect you as best we can, but you better find something quick."

Gibbs got up and headed for the door.

"Gibbs!" He turned and looked at Jarvis. "The more space between you and I, the better."

Gibbs opened his mouth, but thought better of it. He just nodded and disappeared out the door.

…..

Tony sat down in front of Abby. "Okay, let's try this again. There is a very limited group of people in this world with the skills that you and McGee have. Who do you know that's capable of hacking at this level?"

"Tony, people don't advertise these skills. They're illegal."

"You're telling me you don't know anyone?"

She rubbed her face. "I don't know. My friend, Josh, is at NASA, but he's only 14 years old. He didn't do this."

"Who else?"

"I know the FBI has a couple of guys who are really good, but they don't really get to come out and play. Seriously. They are on a very tight leash. The CIA has people. I've heard talk about a female over there, and I've always wanted to meet her, but they're worse than the FBI about watching their people."

"Keep digging, Abs."

"Um, there are legends, but they're mostly stories. I've never met…"

Tony seized on her pause. "What are you thinking?"

She looked at him, her mouth open. "I forgot about Miami."

"Tell me about Miami."

She shook her head. "It couldn't be."

"Abs, tell me about Miami. Start at the beginning."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Um, it started 8-9 months ago. Timmy always wants to be better than he is. He wants to be on the cutting edge, and he told me that he met a guy online named Escondido. Said he was a hacker, one of the legends. Tim wanted to get close to him. You know, not to arrest him, but to learn from him. He always wants to be the miracle man for Gibbs. It's hard to keep surprising people if you don't learn new tricks. So he started talking to Escondido, and this guy tells him about a convention for the very best hackers, and Timmy wanted to go. Escondido tells him that only people who get to go have to be good enough to hack an invitation from his server. So Tim started working on it. He worked on it for three nights, and he got stuck, and he told me, and so I started helping. Together, it took us two more nights, but we finally got in, and there was an invitation to a swanky hotel in Miami Beach."

Tony frowned. "Why didn't I hear about this?"

"'Cause it was his thing. You would've had a bunch of questions and then Gibbs would've known and he would've said no. I mean, seriously. You wouldn't have let him go spend the weekend with potential criminals, right?"

"What happened?"

"I bugged him forever until he let me go along. It ended up being weird. We thought there were going to a number of people, and it would be cool to talk and learn some things, but there were only like 12 guys, and they were really weird. Not living in Mom's basement weird either. Some of them didn't even have college degrees, and they were all living off the grid in a big way. One guy said he had 12 different identities. Another guy looked like a drug dealer from that Johnny Depp movie; he was all shades and gold chains. Most of them were really paranoid; didn't want to talk to anyone. Escondido was a regular looking guy about Tim's age, seemed pretty normal and then there was Roomy."

"Roomy?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "This guy was really off. He didn't make eye contact, and seemed really shy, but he kept following me around. Escondido said he got the name, Roomy, 'cause he had a roommate who called him that, and Roomy thought it was a nickname so he kept it."

"Tell me more."

"Roomy told Escondido that he was in love with me but he'd only known me for an hour, and that made McGee nervous so he sat down with Roomy and explained that it doesn't work like that, and the guy got agitated and so we left. We shared a room 'cause it was a really expensive hotel, and Roomy hacked my key and walked in about 3 in the morning. Tim was sleeping on the other bed, but when I realized that this guy was in the room, I started screaming and Tim jumped him. I mean, he was really good, Tony. He wrestled him to the ground, handcuffed him and called the police. Then Escondido came down, and tried to tell us that Roomy just doesn't understand how to be socially appropriate, and Tim said that it was no excuse. The cops came and took Roomy."

"And that was the end?"

"Tim was really nervous. He felt like he was wrong to bring me, and he thought Gibbs would be mad so we packed up and left the next day."

"Never heard from Roomy again?"

"Tim was worried, and he upped the security on my computers and his. The cops charged Roomy with criminal trespass and aggravated assault, but when Tim called Miami to talk to detectives, the charge had already been erased from the system with Roomy's information and his fingerprints. Roomy erased all evidence of his arrest. Tim told Escondido that if Roomy came near me again, he was going to take him down hard. Escondido said he would watch out for him. That's the last thing I heard."

"That would explain the need to hurt Abby and McGee." Both of them turned to find Ziva standing there. The Israeli moved like a cat, and it wasn't unusual for her to suddenly appear.

"This could mean that it's not about Gibbs at all."

"Abs, can you find Escondido for me?"

"I can try."

"Do better than that. McGee is counting on us, and I want to meet this guy.

…..

Trent Kort glared at him from the window of his car. "I don't owe you a damn thing, Gibbs."

"I know, but after today I'm going to owe you. How does that sound?"

"It's going to a big one."

"Whatever you want."

"Get in the car."

Gibbs climbed in beside Kort with no idea where he was going to end up.

…..

He felt a hand on his arm and he flinched involuntarily. Gorman was back, and this time McGee wasn't going to sit still for the abuse. He tried to swing with his left, but steel cut into his wrist and he howled.

"Tim! Don't fight me. Tim, it's your dad."

Tim turned his face toward the voice, and even in the darkness of the cell, he could make out the unmistakable outline of his father. "Dad?"

"It's me."

Tim tried to sit up on the metal bed, but was hampered by his left wrist cuffed to a ring in the wall.

The admiral helped him sit up and then hugged him tightly. "They have you on suicide watch, Son."

"I never said I would hurt myself."

"It's not uncommon to take that sort of precaution. It's easy to get overwhelmed by a situation like this."

Tim could make out his dad's face in the dim light. "I'm so sorry. I know how much this hurts you."

The dark eyes searched his. "I don't think you can really know. I feel like someone has hit me in the gut with a sledgehammer."

"I never thought they'd let you see me."

Admiral McGee sighed. "I called in every favor I had, and I convinced them that you would talk to me."

"Have you read my statement?"

"I have."

"I'm not going to elaborate on that, not even for you. I'm being framed, Dad, and I'm not going to pull anyone else down with me."

"Except for me."

Tim looked down.

"I know you're being framed, Tim, but you need to help yourself. You're making it hard for them to look at anyone but you. You carry knowledge that you refuse to share."

"My team is helping me. If I talk, I implicate them. Then no one's helping me, and no one is looking for the real spy."

"Gibbs told you to do this."

Tim knew they were headed into old territory. "Boss wants to help. He hasn't abandoned me."

"He's an egomaniac."

"You've never met him."

"It's important to follow your leader, but your devotion to that man verges on an obsession. I know he told you to do this, and when this is over, the only one he's going to care about is himself and his own reputation."

"Stop! You don't know him, and you don't understand what's happening here."

"Your mother can't stop crying."

Tim closed his eyes. "Please stop. You can't guilt me into doing something when I don't believe it's right."

"I love you, Tim, and right now, all I care about is getting you out of this situation."

"Then trust me. I'm not a child anymore."

"Why would someone frame you?"

"I don't know. I suspect I'm collateral damage. Gibbs has to be the real target."

"Then he should be here," hissed the admiral.

"Dad, let's not fight. Gibbs is a good man. If anyone can help me, he can."

"Does he want the best for you? Would he give his life for you? I would do that and more. You're my son. The last few years have been rough for the two of us, but it has never impacted my love for you."

With his free hand, Tim patted his dad's face. "I'm going to be okay, and you tell Mom that. Tell her that I look good, and that this misunderstanding is going to get fixed."

The admiral wrapped his hand around Tim's. "I don't want to lie to her."

"It's not a lie, Dad. I'm going to be okay. I trust my boss that much. He won't give up until I'm free."

The elder McGee sniffled and rubbed a hand roughly across his eyes. "They're not going to let me see you again. It was hard enough to get these few minutes. Remember who you are. Remember that McGee's serve their country above all else. Never forget that. And remember that I'll love you no matter what happens."

Tim squeezed his hand. "Thanks Dad."

….

Gibbs got out of the car at a country inn surrounded by beautiful gardens and a pond. On the patio was a dining area, and there sat a lone man drinking tea. Gibbs followed Kort up to the patio, and Agah Bayar looked up at him, smiling.

He'd already had several interactions with the arms dealer. The man looked like a mafia thug, but acted as urbane as Cary Grant in a Hollywood movie. He nodded at Gibbs and gestured for him to sit. Kort stood nearby, keeping a wary eye on the landscape.

"You're working all the angles these days, Bayar, aren't you?"

"It's good to see you, Gibbs. I hear you are in the middle of quite a mess right now. I'm glad to help."

A server came out with a decanter of bourbon and two glasses.

"I knew you'd be in no mood for tea. One of your people is in trouble, and I'm aware that you take that very seriously."

The server poured two glasses and set one in front of Gibbs, but he ignored it. He hadn't strung four hours of sleep together over the last three nights. Bourbon would only dull his senses. He leaned forward. "You tried to buy the missile codes."

Bayar chuckled. "Of course not. It would've been foolishness. An arms broker is never in the business of starting World War III. No one needs an arms broker then. Whole countries go into the business of making arms wholesale and we become obsolete. The seller gave me a taste of what they had, and I knew it was foolishness to get involved. However, I also knew that the U.S. Government would pay dearly to have this information returned. So I called Mr. Kort immediately."

Gibbs leaned closer. "I need to know who the seller is."

"Yes, that is the question of the hour. I never met him in person, but I knew he or she were amateurs. The kind of information he had should be brokered through governments, not independent contractors. It was sloppy. Also, he was interested in money wired to a Swiss bank account. The Swiss have altered their relationship with the U.S. in regards to bank accounts, particularly when it comes to terrorism. The seller clearly didn't understand that."

Gibbs shook his head. "This doesn't bring me any closer to knowing who this person is."

Kort approached the table. "You, specifically your team, are the missing link in all this. Why put this information on one of your computers? This is personal. Someone wants to hurt you and your people."

"SecNav mentioned an Iranian group. Does your intelligence tell you that they have the information?"

Kort shook his head. "We don't think so. They continue to make attempts at finding the seller, but we are watching them carefully."

Gibbs nodded. "The seller is a hacker, a talented one. No one else would've been able to plant the file. No one could cover their tracks so well."

"We have our best people on this."

Gibbs glared at Kort. "My best person is in custody. He's good. Better than good, and you know that. I need access to him."

"I'm doing the best I can."

Gibbs looked up and saw Fornell coming toward him, trenchcoat flapping in the breeze. He bristled. "Are you following me?"

"Wouldn't have to if you were working with me."

"Who do I trust, Tobias? Who? You got people turning over our lives trying to find a reason to arrest the whole lot of us. So who the hell do I trust?"

"You trust your friends, Jethro."

"Then help me get him back. We got a loose cannon to find; someone who can change the whole face of geopolitics. And worse, he probably doesn't even know exactly what he has. McGee can help."

"We're doing the best we can."

"Do you have people better than McGee on this? That kid can hunt online just as well as I can hunt on land. You got somebody better than him on this?"

Tobias spread his arms. "You think I can make a phone call and fix this. I know you gotta' let out your anger, but do me a favor and point it at someone who can actually do something about it."

"Your attachment to your employees is your biggest weakness, Gibbs."

Gibbs turned on Bayar who was sipping on his tea. "Excuse me?"

"You won't get him back until you solve the problem. You're going about this backwards, in my humble opinion."

Fornell nodded. "Nothing I hate more than agreeing with arms dealers, but he has a point. Your head is filled with McGee right now. You have to let him go or you're no good to him."

Gibbs sat down slowly and rubbed his forehead.

Fornell sat across from him. "I have people who can hunt online, and we're already using them. We gotta' find the amateur who's playing with fire and shut him down. That's how we help McGee."

Gibbs looked up. "He can't hold out much longer."

"His chubby cheeks are gone, Jethro. He's an adult now. He'll carry this weight as long as necessary. Hell, he's survived you for how many years. Let him go. It's the only way to really help him."

Gibbs nodded and stood. "Get me back to my house."

…..

Sorenson came into the room, slammed a can of Coke on the table, and pushed a Three Musketeers bar toward him. McGee lifted his head and looked at him. Sorenson froze for a moment. The boy was sporting a black eye and a bloody lip. Sorenson cursed inwardly but let nothing show. He'd rack Gorman up against the wall after this, but he would never let a suspect sense the dissention.

"You ready for a real conversation today?" Sorenson couldn't help noticing that the bruising on McGee's fingers had deepened. It was clear that one or both of them were broken.

McGee watched him but said nothing.

"Hopefully, time with Daddy yesterday helped you see what you're doing to the people you love."

His left hand was cuffed to the table as always and so McGee picked up the Coke with his right, careful to not use his swollen fingers.

"You want me to open that for you?"

"No." McGee held it for a moment and then threw it at the observation glass as hard as he could. The first pane of the two-way mirror shattered and Sorenson jumped back.

McGee reached for the candy bar and whipped it at Sorenson. "I won't eat your sugar anymore. Bring real food or don't bring any at all."

Sorenson raised his eyebrows. "This is a new tactic, McGee."

"You tell that bastard, Gorman, that the next time he gets close to me, I'm going to bite his ear off."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

Sorenson nodded. Most people became more and more submissive under interrogation, but there were a very distinct few that grew more defiant the harder interrogation got. He hadn't anticipated that McGee would fall into that small group. "So I take it Daddy didn't soften you up."

McGee glared at him silently.

Sorenson carefully wiped glass off his chair and sat. "Okay, Tim. You tell me what we're talking about today."

McGee leaned forward. "The only thing I'm talking about is who might have the skills to do this to me."

Sorenson stared at him for a long moment. "Alright, start talking."

….

Gibbs paced the living room of his house while Tony, Ziva, and Abby filled him in on the story of Escondido and Roomy. Ducky sat and watched the proceedings silently.

"You're looking for these people?"

"We've been trying all afternoon, Boss, but so far neither of them are responding to Abby's messages."

Gibbs went nose to nose with DiNozzo. "Well, that's not good enough, is it?"

"No, it isn't." Tony stood his ground.

"We got big problems, people. We don't have all the resources we usually have, but I don't expect excuses. I want out of the box thinking, ideas, solutions."

Abby teared up. "I can't stop thinking about Tim."

Gibbs closed his eyes and remembered what Agah Bayar said. "Just focus on the work. Worrying about McGee doesn't help us."

"Gibbs!" Abby cried.

"I mean it, Abby."

"Why don't you leave the worrying to his family; the people who actually care?"

They all turned to find a tall dark-haired man standing in the doorway wearing dress whites. The eyebrows and the nose told a story that made introductions unnecessary.

"Admiral McGee," Gibbs said.

The man strode forward, and in one fluid motion, caught Gibbs under the chin with a right hook. Gibbs staggered back, and Tony and Ziva moved to intercept the Admiral, but Gibbs shouted, "Don't touch him!"

Massaging his jaw, Gibbs straightened up and faced the Admiral. "Your son is my responsibility and I failed him."

"You have no idea. I was just with him." The Admiral had a dangerous look in his eye.

Abby stood up. "Is he okay? Please tell me he's alright."

Admiral McGee blinked and turned his attention to her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Abby."

A strange look came over his face. "Abby? The forensic scientist?"

She nodded.

"It's been so long since he and I…talked on a regular basis, but when we did, he always talked about you. I wondered if I'd ever meet you."

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Please don't be angry with us. We all love him so very much…especially Gibbs."

He closed his eyes and held her for a long moment. "I'm sorry, Abby."

"Please tell us how he is." Gibbs looked strangely vulnerable.

The Admiral let go of Abby and focused on Gibbs. "I saw him for fifteen minutes, handcuffed to a concrete wall in a dark cell. You don't have to worry. He's not saying anything. He'll die for you there if that's what you need."

Gibbs closed his eyes.

Tony stepped forward. "He was framed, and we're going to get him back. That's the only thing we need."

"You must be DiNozzo. Heard a lot about you too."

Tony stiffened as if waiting for the Admiral to remind him of all of his hazing over the years.

"Tim always said you were one of the best teachers he ever had."

Tony's eyes burned. It was like McGee to share only the good.

"I believe that you'll do what you can, but I don't have faith that it'll be enough. My son is a good man, he loves his country and he'll die for it, but he deserves better than this."

"Admiral, we are a very powerful force when focused, and I can assure you that none of us will rest until he is safe again." Ducky wasn't a large or a particularly loud man, but when he spoke with conviction, he could hold a room.

The Admiral nodded and turned his attention back to Gibbs. "My feelings about you have been festering ever since you took him onto your team. When a young man has a case of hero worship like my son has, I have to worry that you might not honor the sacrifices he'll make on your behalf."

"I would feel the same."

The Admiral nodded. "I don't have a choice but to leave his fate in your hands. I oversee sensitive strategic projects for NATO. Being allowed to see my son for those fifteen minutes came at a price. I had to agree to go into protective custody until this situation has been resolved. Projects far more important than my life or my sons would be compromised if I got too close to this investigation. There's a car waiting outside, and I don't know where I'm going or when I'm going to see my family again."

Everyone quietly took in the enormity of it.

"I had to beg the DOD for an opportunity to look you in the eye before they took me. I would do anything for him, but, long ago, I gave my life over to my country, and…I don't get to walk away from that."

Two security agents appeared at the door and the Admiral nodded at them. Then he extended a hand to Gibbs. "He belongs to you; he has for quite a few years now, but his family…especially his father still loves him very much. Fight for him, Gibbs…please."

Gibbs gripped his hand tightly, noting the trembling in McGee's fingers. He met the Admiral's eyes and nodded slightly. The security agent put a hand on the Admiral's shoulder. McGee let go, nodded at everyone in the room, and followed the team out the door.

Abby started to go to Gibbs, but Ducky stopped her, shaking his head. Gibbs looked at the ground for a moment, mumbled something unintelligible, and disappeared into his basement.

Those left in the living room looked at one another in stunned silence. Finally, Tony straightened up. "Boss said we need to think outside the box, and he's right. We're going to campfire right now in this living room. Gather round. You get a piece of pizza for every brilliant idea you have. Under no other circumstances do you get pizza. I'd hate to have to starve anyone so you better get thinking. Understood?"

…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is moving in an unexpected direction. McGee is a complicated guy. Let me know what you think. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 4

"How well do you know him?" Sorenson said as he sipped a cup of coffee.

"A lot better than you," Fornell responded.

"He troubles me."

"Well, he should. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Really? He's withholding information in a terror investigation. You wouldn't call that wrong?"

"Sorenson, he works for the toughest son of a bitch on the Eastern Seaboard. He's under the impression that all problems can be solved by being the most stubborn bastard in the room. He's also trying to protect his team. It's a frame up. I know it and I know you can feel it."

"Don't smooth talk me, Tobias. It's my job to get him to open up."

"Wrong. Your job is to get to the truth. The boy doesn't have it."

"What the hell do you expect me to do?"

"Hey! You called me! You must be thinking something."

"Does Gibbs have anything?"

Fornell sighed. "It looks like the work of an amateur. They're working a theory about some hackers that might've targeted McGee."

"Seriously?"

"Hey, it's better than what you have. They're attacking it from the angle of who might've had the skills to hack into the Pentagon."

"Good angle, but that leads us back to McGee again. According to you, he's one of the best."

"Too decent to do this and too brilliant to leave evidence on NCIS computers."

"I can't just let him loose. Too many unanswered questions. The brass would never go for it."

"I want to see him."

Sorenson winced slightly. "What for?"

"We're all on the same side, right? Let me see him."

"He's been in interrogation for four days."

Fornell rolled his eyes. "I get it. He's not looking his best."

Sorenson didn't respond. He just got up from the table, and Fornell followed him down the hall. Sorenson stopped at a door and turned to say something to Fornell, but then he just shook his head and ushered him in. McGee was resting his head on his free arm, and he didn't move when Fornell entered.

"Hey Tim."

McGee's eyes blinked and he squinted as he raised his head. "Who is it?"

Fornell sat across from him. "Boy, someone really tuned you up."

"Fornell?"

He grabbed McGee's chin and looked him over. "Looks like you've been running into doors."

McGee pulled away, looking slightly disoriented. "What do you want?"

Fornell looked at Sorenson. "Did you stop feeding him?"

"Candy bars until yesterday. He stopped eating then. I thought I would give him a day to think about it. I thought it might loosen his tongue."

"Food, Sorenson! Bring him food. Find a damn sandwich."

"I'm not leaving you with him."

"Then make a phone call. Starving him is stupid."

Sorenson pulled out his phone and turned away. Fornell leaned closer. "I want to get you out of here."

McGee shook his head and mumbled. "No tricks. I know tricks. Good cop, bad cop. Gibbs invented it. Leave me alone, Fornell."

"It's not a trick. Gibbs is trying to find out who did this."

McGee made eye contact. "Does the boss know who did it? Is it SecNav?"

"No, probably not. He's focusing on what happened in Miami."

"What?"

"Your hacker friends."

McGee screwed up his face. "What? That's crazy. What's Boss thinking? Escondido is a friend. They aren't terrorists. They're hackers"

"Abby can't find them."

McGee gripped Fornell's arm with his free hand. "Keep Abby away from them!"

"Calm down, Tim."

"It was a mistake to go down there. I should never have brought Abby. Boss is going to be so mad."

Sorenson wandered over. "Tell me about these guys."

McGee glared at him. "So Gorman can work them over? I don't think so."

"It's time to help yourself."

Tim jerked at his handcuff. "No! No more manipulation! I'm not going to cooperate. I'm done!"

"Tim!" Fornell tried to settle him, but McGee flinched at his touch.

"I don't care. I don't care. Just leave me alone." McGee started jerking at the handcuff harder.

Fornell winced at the damage McGee was doing to his left wrist. "Stop! You're going to hurt yourself."

McGee ignored him and Fornell ran around the table, wrapping his arms around the young man tightly. "Help me, Sorenson!"

…

"Where did Gibbs and Ducky go?" Abby's hands were jittery from Caf-Pow. "Does he know something?"

"Sit down, Abs. You have work to do."

"Does he know something, Tony?"

"Abby! Sit down!"

She sat down, her chin trembling. "I just want to know."

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her. "I know, but we can't get distracted. Just keep working, Abs. Ziva's pulled all the cases where someone might want revenge on Boss, and I need you to find out where all these people are so Ziva and I can visit them. Plus, you're going to keep looking for those hacker guys."

"I need more Caf-Pow."

He shook his head. "No way. You're too wired. If you get tired, just lay your head down for a couple hours. McGee understands."

…..

Gibbs looked through the two-way mirror in amazement and stepped back, glaring at Sorenson. "What's wrong with you? You people have no standards! You make Abu Ghraib prison look like a resort! "

Gibbs had a dangerous look in his eyes and Fornell stepped in his line of sight. "We'll save the philosophical discussion for another time. It took a lot to convince Sorenson to let you in so don't blow it."

"Jethro," Ducky said. "We need access to the boy. Keep your temper." He spoke softly as he stared through the window. McGee's hands were handcuffed behind his back now and his head lay quietly on the table. "Has he been sedated?"

"No, we need a psychiatrist for that. Fornell talked me into sending for you instead."

Ducky looked Sorenson straight in the eye. "He's been beaten."

We have an overzealous interrogator. Old school Sergeant. I don't condone his actions but he's been highly effective in the past and your agent has been less than cooperative."

"Don't justify it, Sorenson." Gibbs' face was red.

"It's a terror investigation, Gibbs!"

"What's the mess all over the table?" Ducky asked.

"Fornell tried to give him food, but he spit it out. He seems to have hit a wall of some kind. Says he no longer cares what happens to him."

"I want to see him," Gibbs said in a low voice.

"You have to convince him to cooperate."

"He didn't do anything, Sorenson. When are you going to realize that?"

"I think he does, Jethro. That's why you're here." Fornell said quietly.

"I want in on what you've found, Gibbs."

Gibbs looked at him long and hard. "I have my own conditions."

"Really! "'Cause I could just pull in your whole team, and we could spend the next week going old school on all of you."

Gibbs advanced on Sorenson. "Don't threaten me! You don't have the balls to pull it off."

Fornell got in between them. "Shut up! Both of you! Let's keep our eyes on finding the terrorist, shall we?"

"The only thing I care about right now is Timothy. Do I have to break the door down to get to him?" Dr. Mallard had a tone to his voice that rivaled Gibbs.

Sorenson stared at the mirror for a long moment and shook his head. He opened the door for Gibbs and Ducky.

McGee didn't respond to the sound of people in the room. Ducky looked at Sorenson sharply. "Take the handcuffs off!"

"He's not stable."

"I'm his physician and I demand a chance to examine him! I will file a civil rights complaint that will make your head spin if you don't uncuff him now!"

McGee lifted his head. "Ducky?"

Ducky put a hand on McGee's shoulder while Sorenson took the cuffs off. "I'm going to look you over, Timothy. Don't move."

McGee stayed still while Ducky softly manipulated his arms. McGee spotted Gibbs. "Boss?"

Gibbs seemed to be struggling with his composure. He nodded at McGee and slowly sat down across from him. "Look at me, Tim."

Where there weren't shadows under his eyes, there were bruises. There was swelling around the cut on his lip the size of a walnut and his eyes seemed unfocused.

"You need some food, Tim."

"Not hungry."

"Yeah, I know you. You don't get angry very often, but when you do, you're like a brick wall. You're a stubborn mule."

"I don't want to talk to them anymore. I won't let them have anybody. Not you or Abby or Tony or Ziva. I'm all done."

Ducky found the swollen fingers on his right hand and probed them. Tim howled. Ducky looked at Gibbs. "Broken fingers. His left wrist is a mess, and I bet if I start probing his left side, I'll find out why he keeps listing to his right."

McGee pulled away. "Don't touch me there, Ducky. Please."

Ducky look up in anger at Sorenson. "The question isn't going to be whether or not he has broken ribs; it'll be how many there are."

Gibbs leaned forward. "Tim, I need you to do what I say."

McGee's breath quickened. "I saw my dad. First time in seven years. I hurt him so bad. My mom can't stop crying. I've ruined their lives."

"Listen to me. I saw him too. He's strong and he wants you to be strong."

"Where is he? Please tell him how sorry I am."

Gibbs couldn't bear to tell him that the Admiral was in custody. "Navy had to pull him away for important business. It hurt him very much to leave you like this. He left me in charge of watching over you, and I have no intention of disappointing another McGee."

Ducky gently moved his torso back and forth, and McGee groaned in pain. "He's going to need x-rays, Jethro."

Gibbs looked up at Sorenson. "Let's negotiate."

…..

Gibbs blew in suddenly, and they could all feel the energy radiating off him. He gathered them in the living room. "I have news."

Tony sighed. "Finally! You know what's happening; who's doing this?"

"Don't get ahead of yourselves. We have new partners. Two agents from CID are going to be working with us."

Ziva frowned. "I don't get it."

"We're working with CID, and in exchange, we get McGee back."

"Oh my God!" Abby jumped up and ran into Gibbs' arms. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "How did you get that to happen?"

Gibbs peeled Abby off him. "The interrogation with McGee has gone badly. They went too far, and…it backfired. One of the agents, Sorenson, is convinced that McGee is innocent, but they can't let go of him without another direction to work the case."

"It went badly," Ziva said softly.

"McGee and these agents are going to be working with us here. It's a pretty fragile arrangement, and it only works if you do exactly as I say."

Tony nodded. "What do you need, Boss?"

"They'll be here in a few minutes. McGee needed a few hours at a hospital. He's banged up, and he's not…he's not good. When he comes in, you don't jump at him or scream or cry or hug him. You understand? He needs a bit of time to get his footing again. Ducky's going to take him upstairs so he can get a little rest. The CID agents are coming with him. Sorenson is working with us, and we share everything with him. The other one, Gorman, is McGee's keeper. He's going to be with him constantly. You do not react with hostility to either of them. Do you understand?"

They nodded silently.

Gibbs worried his lip for a moment. "Gorman is the real problem. His approach to interrogation is medieval. Tony, you have to be the solution. That man is going to be with McGee constantly and I want you on his tail. He's the kind that waits for the five minutes he has alone with McGee to…motivate him. You need to keep that from happening."

Tony nodded. "I can be quite a motivator myself."

"This is delicate. They have the authority to pull him out of here at will, and then we lose him again. We're not going to let that happen."

"Let me watch Gorman," Ziva said.

"His life expectancy will be about 24 hours if I allow that, Ziva. You and I are going to have to do the legwork. Tony is the most creative among us. Plus, I think McGee needs Tony right now."

There was noise on Gibbs' front porch and he stood up. Ducky came in looking solemn, followed by Fornell and another man. Pulling up the rear was an older man with a ruddy face steering a handcuffed McGee in the door. It had only been a week, but his condition was shocking. He didn't raise his eyes to greet his friends. Abby bit her lip, and Ziva held her hand tightly.

Tony's face reddened and he gestured angrily. "Are you kidding with the handcuffs!"

Gibbs looked at him sharply and Tony stilled his protest.

"Certainly not my idea," Ducky said tightly.

"Agent Sorenson and Gorman, this is my team. You've already heard from Special Agent DiNozzo. This is Special Agent David and Miss Scuito." Gibbs talked as if he was chewing glass.

Ducky looked at Gorman. "In the house, I must insist that you uncuff him. The abrasions on his left wrist can't heal with them on."

Gorman looked ready to protest when Sorenson nodded at him sharply. Reluctantly, he uncuffed McGee. McGee's stiff arms unfolded slowly, revealing a heavily bandaged wrist and splinted fingers. Ziva sucked in breath and Abby looked away.

"He needs rest. Take him upstairs, Duck."

Ducky put his hand on McGee, but the young man pulled away and looked at his boss. "I want to help."

Gibbs shook his head. "Rest first. You haven't eaten any real food in four days. Do what Ducky says and you can help in the morning."

McGee set his mouth, prepared to argue, but Gibbs stopped him. "Do what I say."

McGee deflated a little, and let Ducky lead him up the stairs. Gorman started to follow when Tony spoke. "He doesn't need you up there."

The older man looked at him with steely eyes. "I go where he goes."

Tony snorted. "Well, it's going to get awfully crowded up there then."

He followed the CID agent up the stairs.

….

"Ducky, I haven't bathed in almost a week. Please. I can't sleep until I'm clean."

The old Scot looked him over. "Well, let me help you with your clothes."

"No, I'm good. I can do this." McGee pulled away, but the effort left him doubled over.

"Don't argue with the Doc or I'll undress you," said Gorman.

Tony looked at him sharply. "You're done touching him."

Tony went over and started helping him with his shirt. McGee winced. "I smell like a sewer, Tony. I can do this."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm so happy to see you, it doesn't matter what you smell like." Tony slid the shirt off McGee, and he got a look at the dark bruises on his left side. He turned his head and looked at Gorman, but the CID agent did nothing but glare back at him.

He stepped back. "I know how you feel about your privacy, Tim, but with all the bandages and the injuries, you're going to need someone in there with you."

Tim nodded. "Ducky can do it."

Ducky smiled. "I'm happy to help."

"I gotta' be in there too."

Ducky frowned and his Scottish brogue deepened with his anger. "There isn't room for you, Gorman."

Tony held his temper as best he could. "Gorman can go in and make sure there aren't any other exits. Then he and I will wait right here, isn't that right?"

"I don't answer to you, DiNozzo."

"Well, there isn't room in there for you, ya' big ape. If you want to fight about it, I'm happy to—"

"Well, how are we all getting along?" Fornell appeared with some toast and a sliced banana.

Ducky took that opportunity to pull McGee to the bathroom. The two disappeared inside and the door locked. Gorman started toward it, and Tony got in his way. For a moment, the two men stared each other down like a couple of bulls.

Finally, Gorman stepped back. "When this is over, you and I—"

"I can't wait," Tony interrupted with a growl. "And don't you dare back out, and deny me the opportunity to show you what it feels like to walk around with broken ribs."

Fornell smiled. "I'd buy a ticket to that."

Gorman frowned and headed for the toast and banana, but Fornell bristled, "Over my dead body. If you're hungry, go downstairs and get something to eat in the kitchen. This is for McGee. He's got a delicate stomach after all you put him through."

The older man glared at both of them. "We can walk away any time."

"Then I guess it's good that you're not the decision maker in this group." Fornell winked at Tony and headed back down the stairs.

Once they were alone, Tony gestured toward a chair at one end of the room while he settled into the chair at the other end. The two men sat and glared at each other.

…..

Gibbs opened the door to find Vance, Rusty Balboa, and his team out on his porch. "My house is too crowded for all of you."

Rusty grinned. "You suck as a host, Jethro."

Vance shouldered past Gibbs. "I want to see McGee."

Balboa gestured for his team to stay where they were and followed Vance inside.

"What now, Leon? I'm done with surprises."

"Rusty and his team are out of the office at a seminar this week."

Gibbs frowned at Rusty. "You need directions to Quantico or something?"

"Naw. You're the one teaching the seminar. My team and I work for you this week."

Gibbs looked at Vance sharply.

"I'm not going to sit around like while CID loots my agency."

Sorenson walked in. "CID director Purcell isn't going to like it."

"Already told him. I want to get a look at what your people did to my agent."

Fornell walked in. "This place is getting to be a halfway house for agents gone rogue."

Vance ignored him and looked at Gibbs. "Where is he?"

Gibbs gestured at the stairs.

Vance pointed a finger at him. "Put Rusty and his people to work. You have lots of enemies. I'm sure you can get them more than busy for the week."

Vance headed up the stairs with Sorenson on his tail. Gibbs gave Fornell a look and the FBI agent trotted up after him.

….

Vance walked in the bedroom without knocking and switched on a light. Gorman and DiNozzo both blinked their eyes open from their chairs. McGee sat up suddenly with a loud gasp, and then howled at the strain on his ribs. Tony was up and at his side in a moment. "It's okay, Tim. Director Vance wants to talk to you."

Vance took in the bruised face, splinted fingers, wrist, and how desperately McGee held his torso and he turned to Sorenson. "Terror investigations are tough. We have latitude on we get answers, but we also use our instincts. He really strike you as a terrorist?"

"You forgot to mention the urgency, Director. We didn't have time for the games he played. He was withholding information. That was very clear, and we needed to know what it was."

"He was protecting his team, Sorenson."

"He has a responsibility to be forthcoming."

"And you have a responsibility to respect his civil rights even if it is a terror investigation."

"He's just a pissy entitled kid," Gorman growled.

Vance turned on him. "Now, we get to the bottom of this: an enlisted man with authority issues. You hate that he's an Admiral's kid. It just killed you that he wouldn't tell you what you wanted to hear."

"Gentlemen, let's keep our eyes on the ball here." Fornell said. He was beginning to tire of his role as mediator.

Vance let out a sigh and turned his attention to McGee. "How you holding up?"

McGee nodded but said nothing. Tony watched him closely. "I think it's getting a little crowded in here, Director."

Vance looked around the room. "I agree. Let's give McGee some space."

Gorman sat back down and Vance stopped. "You too."

"I have orders."

"Sorenson, you have my word that McGee is not going to run."

Sorenson nodded reluctantly. "Go downstairs, Gorman. He's not going anywhere."

The older man shook his head, but got up and followed his boss out of the room. Tony waited until it was just him and McGee. "Talk to me."

For a long moment, McGee said nothing. Then he looked at Tony. "I wish I was still back at CID."

Tony winced. "What! I don't understand."

"I screwed this up in so many ways. Sorenson is right. I was evasive. I was protecting you, but was it the right thing to do? It's a terror investigation. Did I slow progress? What about my family? You should've seen my dad's face. I feel like he's destroyed. What was the right thing to do?"

Tony sat next to him on the bed. "You were stuck in the worst possible situation, Tim."

"I don't know, Tony. I feel like something inside me broke. We have to find out who hacked that material because it's important to national security, but when it comes to exonerating me, I just don't care anymore. I want to disappear. I want to be gone."

"Don't talk like that. I don't want to hear it."

"Then don't ask anymore. 'Cause this is what's really in my head right now."

Tony nodded. "Okay. Then this is what I need to hear, but don't ask me to accept it. You're coming back in every way possible. That's the only reality I will recognize."

…

Abby sat alone in the basement, isolated with her laptops when an IM appeared on her screen.

"Escondido: So you've been looking for me. What can I do you for?"

She jumped to her feet and started yelling.

…..

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: There will be two more chapters. It could've easily turned into an epic, but I've restrained myself. I'm not feeling myself these days. Too much stress. So, I hope it still works because I can't judge it very well. I will try to have something next week. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 5

They huddled around her laptop as she typed.

"McGee's in trouble. Someone framed him. Had to be a hacker. He told me you could help."

The IM lit up immediately. "Man, that's crazy! What does he want me to do?"

Abby looked up at Gibbs who nodded. She typed, "Had to be someone with mad skills. Hacked the Pentagon. McGee thinks you might know how to find someone like that."

There was a pause. Fornell nodded at Abby. "He's thinking. Tell him you want to meet in person and you're bringing your boss."

Then the IM appeared. "Uh…I'll do what I can. McGee overestimates my connections, I think."

Abby typed, "Need to meet with you. Please. It's important."

"Sorry. Out of town."

"I don't like this guy," Ziva whispered.

Fornell nodded. "He's hinky. Abby, tell him your boss has permission to share evidence. You have to show him in person."

Abby nodded and typed. Then there was a long pause. Finally, the IM came up. "I guess I could make a trip to D.C. Anything for my old friend, right? Tell me when and where."

"ASAP, Escondido! You name the place."

"I'll get back to you." Then the IM disappeared with a poof.

Gibbs gestured at the screen. "Can you track him?"

She shook her head. "Escondido taught Tim some of his evasion tactics."

"Let me try. If you want to know things about these guys, I'm the one to tell you."

Everyone turned to see McGee standing on the steps.

"McGee!" Abby called, jumping to her feet, but she stopped herself when she saw his thin, pale face and blank stare. It was as if he didn't know her.

Fornell stood. "You're still in custody, Tim. I'm not sure we can let you work the case. I'm going to have to think on it."

McGee's face absorbed this information without moving. "Then get on it, Fornell! You're going to need my help."

There was a shout from upstairs and then they heard Gorman bellowing for him. McGee closed his eyes and then headed back up the stairs. Gibbs kept his eyes on the stairs as he patted Abby's back. "Let me know when he's online again."

Ziva started for the stairs when Gibbs stopped her. "I got it. You stay with Abby."

….

Gibbs found DiNozzo in the kitchen looking out the window. "What's going on? Where's McGee?"

"Gorman just dragged him outside with him. Gorman was outside arguing with Sorenson when McGee slipped down to the basement. Gorman's telling Sorenson that he's going to go to Purcell if they don't take Tim back to CID. Said he's been allowed too much unauthorized access to the investigation."

"Damn!"

"I know. I'd be out there right now, but Gorman is at a breaking point. I would just make it worse. That asshole could pack McGee into a car in the next five minutes, and that would be it."

Gibbs shook his head. "Sorenson knows he's not guilty."

"Good luck explaining that to the Joint Chiefs. Sorenson has to prepare a progress report for a meeting they have tomorrow. Do you want me to go out there and try to reason with them?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I got it."

He walked out on the back deck, and found McGee sitting on a bench, staring off into the distance completely detached from the fight happening in front of him.

Sorenson looked over at Gibbs and pointed at McGee. "He is not allowed to just wander off at will!"

Gibbs bristled. "He went down to the basement. How is that wandering off?"

"If Gorman doesn't have eyes on him, it's wandering off."

"I'll talk to him. Listen, we got news. We made contact with the hacker we suspect. My people are trying to set up a meet with him now."

Sorenson seemed to deflate a bit. "That's good news."

"McGee can help us," Gibbs said carefully.

Gorman groaned and shook his head. "I love it. New innovations in terrorism investigation. We just let the terrorists go back into business."

Sorenson looked at McGee. "We do it all the time, Gorman. We monitor him just like when we turn terror suspects and turn them into informants."

"It's too dangerous, Sorenson!"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it anymore. We take him back to CID now and we're nowhere. He's a mute in interrogation."

"Give me an hour with him! One hour! If there's something worth knowing, I'll know it by the end of that hour."

Gibbs didn't stop until he was an inch from the old Sergeant's nose. "He'll be dead after an hour with you. And then I'd have to kill you."

"It's national security, Gibbs! You think you're above the law!"

"And you don't realize there are laws!"

"Stop it! He stays!" Sorenson shouted. Then he grabbed his phone and strode off into the grass while he called Purcell.

Gibbs stayed nose to nose with Gorman for another moment. "I'm going to make it my mission in life to shut you down, Gorman."

The craggy face broke into a smile. "I got so many asses to kick when this is over. I'm just drooling thinking about it all."

Gibbs broke away and found McGee looking at him dispassionately. "I'll go back to CID with them. It'll be less trouble."

"No!"

"I'm not afraid of Gorman."

Gibbs advanced on McGee and pointed a finger. "I've seen you like this before! After you killed Benedict and after Cove and Corbett were killed by your book stalker. You want to give up. You don't care because you deserve to be punished. Isn't that right? Well, knock it off! You didn't deserve it then and you don't now!"

McGee's face reddened. "I don't want to be here if I can't help! I'd rather spend my time in a small room with Gorman."

Gibbs stared at him.

Tim stood up. "Imagine this was you, and you couldn't do anything but sit there. Imagine the impotence of it all. I do not want to be here if I can't work this case. I don't want to be the object of your pity. Do you understand?"

Gibbs nodded, his energy deflating. "I do. I get it. And we need you. Not just because we care. We need you because I believe you're the one who can crack this case. I'm going to fight to keep you here, and I'm going to fight to get you back. You're family, Tim."

McGee's eyes watered. "Oh God. I hope it's not too late for promises like that."

Gibbs patted his cheek. It's not. Trust me."

"I'll do anything you want, Boss. Just give me something to do."

Gorman folded his arms. "It's like a frickin' Lifetime movie with you two. Kiss him, why don't ya'."

"I'm going to kill him with my bare hands," Gibbs muttered to McGee.

"I palmed his wallet this morning and put it in your outgoing mail," McGee whispered. "Sent it to Purcell. I thought it might show him what a joke this guy is."

"Nice," Gibbs said as a grin grew on his face.

"What the hell are you two girls whispering about over there? Get over here, McGee! We're going inside. I can't seem to find my damn wallet!"

…..

McGee sat at a bedroom window staring outside while Gorman paced the room like a bull. His anger had skyrocketed since he discovered his wallet's absence, but McGee ignored him. The old bully no longer mattered to him.

DiNozzo appeared in the doorway. "I got a friend who wants to say hi."

Gorman turned on him. "He's not taking visitors."

McGee turned and saw Abby peering over Tony's shoulder. "Hey Abs."

"Can I talk to you?" She said softly.

Gorman started to slam the door on them, but Tony pushed back. "She just wants to say hi, you old fool. We'll stand at the door."

"No!"

"I hear you lost your wallet. Let her in and I'll buy you a pizza…maybe even one without arsenic in it."

Gorman hesitated. No one in the house was feeling particularly generous with him, even Sorenson, and he was damn hungry. "I want an extra large with pepperoni, sausage, and ham."

"Come on out then. Room's too crowded for you in there with them. I'll even get you an order of breadsticks; something for you to choke on."

"You're an asshole, DiNozzo."

"Yup," Tony replied as the gruff Army Sergeant slunk out of the room. Abby eased past him, and then she stood there in the middle of the room, her face pale without her trademark cherry lips and smoky eyes.

She looked down. "I know what you did for me."

"You were innocent, Abby."

"Gibbs said you'd take a bullet for me."

He smiled lightly. "Everyone on this team would do that for you."

She looked at him shyly. "But only one person is you."

He wanted to stand but his legs felt weak. "You're special to me too."

"Can I come closer? I promise not to upset you."

He pulled himself to his feet. "Come here, Abs. I missed you."

She stepped forward and hugged him fiercely. He felt hot tears on the back of his neck, but he made no move to pull away.

"It's okay, Abs."

"I love you so much."

"Me too."

She shook her head. "You scare me, Tim."

This time he pulled away and searched her face. "Nothing scary about me."

She buried her face in his neck. "Not as long as I don't think about how much I love you."

"You're overwhelmed. When this is over, we can go back to what we had."

"When this is over, I'm going to still love you with all my heart."

He cupped her face with his hands. "Now is not the time for this conversation."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Escondido contacted me again. Gibbs, Fornell, and I are going to meet with him."

He brushed the raven bangs off her face. "I'm sorry I ever got you into this. This is all my fault."

"Not your fault. Don't want to hear it anymore."

"Yeah, nobody does. Hey, I need you to be careful. Do whatever the boss tells you, nothing more."

"Promise."

"Hey! Get off her. You ain't earned a conjugal visit." Gorman bellowed into the room.

"I can kill without leaving one scintilla of evidence," she whispered.

"He isn't worthy of your skills," he said in a low voice as he urged her out the door.

….

"Fornell, Abby, and I are going to go meet with Escondido. We need Ziva to provide backup in case we need a tail."

Fornell nodded. "My geeks are trying to find Roomy, but they say he dropped off the radar about a week ago. Seems a little suspicious."

McGee nodded. "I know his address. I got worried after he broke into our hotel room in Miami so I thought it was best I keep tabs on him. He lives about 90 minutes from here."

"I should go pay him a visit, Boss," Tony said.

"He's not normal, Tony. His social skills are weird."

"From what you described Timothy, he sounds like he might be autistic to some degree. Asperger's most likely. It's hard to imagine that he would be interested in something so outside his immediate world like terrorism." Ducky said.

"Unless he's being used for his skills by someone."

Gibbs nodded. "In any event Tony, I don't want you going alone."

"Well, who is around to tag along? Rusty's team is busy knocking on doors for us."

"I'll do it," Sorenson said. "I want to see for myself if this is a wild goose chase."

"That leaves Tim back here alone with Gorman," Abby said with a frown."

"I can handle it, Abs," McGee said tightly.

"Sure, it'll be fun. We'll braid each other's hair." Gorman said from where he was standing against the wall.

"Absolutely not," Gibbs said, glaring at him.

"I'll be there, Jethro. I won't leave Timothy's side," Ducky said.

"Come on, Boss. Let's just get this thing done." McGee's impatience left him unable to sit still.

Gibbs pointed to Gorman. "If there's a problem, you'll answer to me."

Gorman shook his head. "You're just a pretty boy Marine, Gibbs. You don't scare me none."

Fornell stood up. "All right, people, let's get this done."

…..

Abs sat with Gibbs and Fornell in the hotel lounge sipping on a Shirley Temple. They had been waiting an hour and Escondido had yet to show. She kept her eyes peeled but she knew that, with every passing minute, he was less likely to show.

She drained her drink. "I need another one, Gibbs. If I'm to be denied my nectar of life, at least I should be allowed all the sugar I can get."

He nodded and slipped her a ten-dollar bill. "I think the bartender is sweet on you."

She tossed her head in disdain. "I already have a hero in my life, and as soon as this is over, he's going to get some very special attention from me. Rule 12 or not."

She slipped out of the booth and headed for the bar. Fornell looked at Gibbs. "McGee doesn't stand a chance."

Gibbs leaned forward. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but it's about damn time. He's good for her and vice versa."

"Rule 12?"

"That's for guys like DiNozzo and me….back in the day. McGee doesn't need rules like that. I used to think that a guy that sincere had no business in law enforcement, but he's constantly surprising me."

"I'd poach him if I thought he was capable of ever leaving you."

"We got to fix this for him, Tobias. It'd break my heart to lose him to prison, and I think it would break his spirit. He's already more depressed than I've ever seen him. He can't take much more."

They heard a squeal and both men looked up to see Abby literally launch herself on a lanky man with a beard and a ponytail. Gibbs jumped up and headed in her direction. "Abs?"

She maintained a death grip on the young man's arm. "This is Escondido. I found him spying on us from behind the potted plants."

The young man tried to jerk away but she held fast. "I wasn't spying on anyone, Abby. I was just…I wasn't doing anything."

Gibbs fixed his steel blue eyes on the kid. "Let go of him, Abby. Why don't you come and join us?"

Escondido was unceremoniously released, looking rumpled and flushed. "Not if I'm going to get treated like a criminal."

Gibbs cocked his head. "Really? I just saw one friend greeting another who was… crouching behind a Ficus plant. Nothing weird about that."

Escondido took a breath and smoothed his shirt. "I'm just here to help McGee."

Gibbs gestured. "Well, slide on into this booth. That's why we're here too. I'll take the outside seat if you don't mind."

Escondido looked like a man being forced into the lion's den.

….

Tony watched the lights on the elevator buttons go up as they travelled to the top of the building as the landlord talked. "Technically, this is an assisted living senior living community, but this guy, Roomy, he's got needs. They say he's brilliant on the computer and with math stuff, but when it comes to the regular tasks of living, he's pretty lost. He's got a case manager. She'll be in a few minutes. She told me she hasn't seen much of him over the last week or so. Of course, it's not that unusual for Roomy. I can go months without ever seeing him."

The elevator hit the top and they all got off. DiNozzo and Sorenson exchanged glances and took up positions on either side of the landlord while he opened the door. He pulled the door open, and a distinct and putrid smell assaulted them. DiNozzo covered his nose and cursed.

…

"Check."

Ducky waited a minute and tried again. "Timothy, I have you in check."

McGee blinked and looked down at the chess pieces. "Sorry, Duck. My head's not in the game."

"Of course, it's not, but there's nothing to be done until we hear back from Gibbs or Tony. Try to enjoy yourself."

"I'll play checkers with the winner," Gorman growled from a chair in the corner.

Ducky rolled his eyes. "Oh joy! I can hardly wait."

Tim started to make a move, but Ducky caught his hand before he could complete it. "Rethink it. You can do better than that."

McGee sighed. "Duck…"

Ducky leaned forward. "Do not give up yet or I'll have to play the primate over there."

Tim managed a weary grin. "Okay. I'll protect you as long as I can."

…..

"I don't know, man. I can't think of anyone who would do this to McGee." Escondido's eyes darted about the room as if he was expecting someone.

"There aren't many people with these kinds of skills, Escondido. By the way, what is your given name?"

The thin man gave them a shaky smile. "Hackers never share."

Fornell reached over with his pen, stuck it in Escondido's empty drink, and then dragged the glass toward him. "Don't worry. Abby here will get it."

Abby grabbed a cloth from her bag and wrapped it up.

"That's cold."

Gibbs leaned forward. "We don't have time for games. We need to find someone who has very specialized skills, carries a grudge against Abby and McGee, and is trying to sell military secrets. We like you and your friend, Roomy, 'cause you fit two of the three things we're looking for."

"I don't have anything against Abby or McGee. McGee's my friend."

"Yes, but there's Roomy, isn't there?"

Escondido sighed. "It was a misunderstanding. Roomy doesn't understand things between men and women the way he should."

"But the two of you are close."

"Ah…I mean we talk online. We meet occasionally. I'm not his keeper, you know."

"Do you think Roomy would plant evidence to hurt Abby and McGee?"

Escondido licked his lips nervously. "No, I don't. I mean, I don't know."

"You're as nervous as a cat in a dog park. Last time I saw someone this nervous, we dug up three bodies in the backyard. Do you remember that, Jethro?"

Fornell was going to play the agitator, a role that suited him well. Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "He is awfully nervous, Tobias."

Abby bit her lip and watched with fascination as the two men played the hacker. She knew to stay quiet and let them tag team him.

"I'm not nervous! I just don't know what you want."

"We want to know who's good enough to hack into the Pentagon and then plant evidence on NCIS computers. Are you good enough? Is Roomy? Whoever did it is hurting McGee and Abby on purpose."

"I have no problems with McGee. He's my friend."

"Roomy?"

Escondido shrugged. "He was mad at McGee. Said he got in the way of his date with Abby?"

Abby threw her arms up. "He broke into my room. How was that a date?"

"Roomy doesn't always get the difference."

She rolled her eyes. "Wow!"

Fornell leaned forward. "What did Roomy say about McGee?"

"He said that McGee was trying to keep Abby for himself. Said he was being selfish." Escondido frowned for a moment. "Three weeks ago, he told me that McGee threatened him."

"Tell us more" Gibbs put a hand on Abby to calm her indignation.

"I don't know much. He just said McGee showed up at his apartment and threatened to kick his ass."

Fornell gave Gibbs a funny look. "McGee never mentioned anything like that."

"Hey fellas, I gotta' go. I have to meet someone. It's really important."

Gibbs insisted on a phone number and an address before letting Escondido go. Fornell gave him a look. "We were done with him?"

"He's jonesing for something. Let's find out what."

Then he opened his cell. "Ziva, I want you to tail that guy wherever he goes."

…..

Roomy was shot twice in the face, but there were no other injuries. Still, the apartment was ransacked. Someone clearly spent hours looking for something. Sorenson spent most of the time barking on the phone at the CID teams he wanted dispatched.

DiNozzo heard a sound behind him and found the landlord in the doorway with a very pretty blonde woman. "Agent DiNozzo, this is Patty Miller. She was Roomy's case manager. She saw him most every day."

She stiffened. "I mean, I usually saw him every day, but last week he asked for some privacy. I haven't seen him for at least like 7 or 8 days."

Something about her struck DiNozzo as odd. "He's been dead for quite a few days. I think you're going to need to get specific about when you last saw him."

She closed her eyes. "I think it was 8 days ago."

Tony frowned. "He needed living skills support. That seems like a long time to go without contact."

"Well, I knocked a few days but there was no answer. I was coming back today to see if he'd open the door."

Sorenson came over. "Did Roomy have friends?"

"Ah, not really. He stayed to himself. Most of his friends were online, I think."

"Okay, we're going to need his real name and names of family members."

She nodded. "You know, I remember one incident."

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"He had a loud argument with a man a few weeks ago. I saw it. Roomy looked really scared."

"Can you identify this man?"

She shrugged. "He was young, tall, thin. Fair-skinned. Green eyes."

Sorenson looked at DiNozzo. Then he reached into his folder and pulled out a picture of McGee. When she saw it, she nodded furiously. "Yup. This is the guy. Roomy said he was scared of him."

Sorenson looked at DiNozzo and shook his head. "I should've known better."

….

McGee sat slumped on the couch, watching Ducky trounce Gorman in checkers. At first, it was one game. Then Gorman insisted on 2 out of 3. Now, it was up to 3 out of 5. The cell on Gorman's belt rang and McGee sat up straight. Gorman planted it on his ear and listened. His eyebrows went up and he turned to stare at McGee. "So I was right all along then."

Ducky and McGee exchanged looks while Gorman listened some more. Then he put the phone down and slowly got up. "Time to go back to CID, McGee."

McGee stood. "What happened? I don't understand. What did they say? Did they find Escondido? Roomy?"

Gorman pulled his cuffs off his belt. "Now, we are going to be adding capital murder to the charges."

"Why! What happened?" McGee shouted.

Ducky stood up. "Talk to us, Gorman! You're scaring both of us. What happened?"

"Shut up, old man," Gorman muttered. "McGee, you and I are going back to headquarters and we're going to do things my way."

"No!" Ducky shouted. The outrage of what'd happened to McGee at CID earlier was too much for the doctor. He pushed Gorman hard. Gorman stumbled, turned and, without hesitating, caught Ducky under the chin with a right hook, sending the older man face first into the wall. There was a loud thud, and Ducky slid down to the floor.

Instinct sent McGee hurtling headfirst into Gorman's middle. It took the Army Sergeant by surprise, and they both ended up in a heap on the ground. McGee was on top, and despite his injured wrist, he landed blow after blow in the man's face.

"Timothy! Stop! Timothy!"

McGee looked up as if from a trance and saw Ducky slumped against the wall, breathing hard. "Don't hit him anymore."

McGee got up off Gorman and stared down at him. The man's eyes were closed and his face was bloody. McGee started to shake.

"Help me up. Let me get a look at him."

McGee stumbled over to Ducky and carefully helped him to his feet. Ducky moaned and held onto McGee tightly for a moment. "I seem to be a bit dizzy."

"We have to get you to a hospital."

"I'm good. Don't worry." Ducky patted his arm. "Take me over to the brute."

McGee led him over and helped him kneel down in front of Gorman. Ducky took a few moments, checking his pulse and his breathing, and then feeling his face. The unconscious Sergeant jerked and groaned when Ducky probed his jaw. He looked up, "You broke his jaw, Timothy."

McGee winced and looked away.

Gorman groaned again, and Ducky reached for McGee's arm so he could stand again. "He's going to be awake in a few minutes. We must act fast."

"Ducky, I didn't kill anybody. I didn't hack the Pentagon. I didn't steal missile codes."

He nodded gravely. "I know. This has really gotten out of hand. Now, they can add 'Assault of a Federal Officer' to their charges. Once, they get their hands on you, I worry that we'll not see you again."

"Ducky, I don't understand why this is happening to me. I don't know what to do. If it was just about me, I'd say, 'let'em have me'. That's how little I care right now, but this is also about my family, my father, and all of you."

Ducky closed his eyes. "I never thought I would say this, but you have to run."

McGee shook his head. "That seals my guilt."

"You have to survive, Timothy! You have to have space to think. The answer to these mysteries will undoubtedly come from you."

"I can't do it."

"You have to. My wallet and my keys are on the mantle. Take the cash and the car. I suspect that the car will only be good for an hour or two, but you already know that. You have to go now!"

"The boss…"

Ducky wagged a finger at him. "There is no time to talk to him now, but ask yourself this: Would Gibbs sit here and wait to be arrested for crimes he didn't commit?"

Gorman groaned again, and he started to move his limbs.

"Go now!"

"You'll be okay, Duck?"

"Go, Timothy! Go!"

…


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: It took two weeks to finally get this down. It's been a crazy time, and I won't go into details, I have written about it on my author's forum, _hazel's rants and raves_, on NFA. I hope you haven't given up on this story. It's still a really fun story to write. Let me know what you think. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 6

"Ok, I got it...no…hello Tony…Tony?...Gibbs, I'm not good at conferencing by cell. That's McGee's territory…"

"Ziva, do it! We don't have much time."

"Tony?...Tony?"

"Hey, Ziva."

"I did it, Gibbs. You have both of us now."

Gibbs sighed. "Listen to me carefully. Ziva, you're following Escondido, and Tony, you are on your way back from the crime scene. Correct?"

Ziva gasped. "What crime scene?"

Tony jumped in. "We found Roomy dead. It's gotta' be a week at least. The smell is putrid. His case manager claims that McGee was at his apartment fighting with him just three weeks ago. It's senior housing so we canvassed the lobby. Some of those old birds are in the same place every day. Two of them recognized him from Sorenson's photo."

"McGee would've told us if they fought!"

"I know, but Sorenson wouldn't hear it. He called Gorman. My guess is that McGee is on his way to CID as we speak."

Gibbs broke in. "It's all gone south—"

"I'm sure McGee was just checking on Roomy to make sure—"

"Shut up and listen, Tony! I just heard from Ducky. Sorenson called Gorman, and that ol' Army asshole tried to cuff McGee without an explanation. Ducky pushed him and Gorman punched Ducky in the face—"

"No!"

"Shut up, Ziva and listen! McGee snapped. He beat Gorman unconscious."

"Gorman had it coming, Boss," Tony said.

"It's not going to play like that. McGee was spotted arguing with a murder victim. He beats up his interrogator and now he's gone on the run."

"No!" Ziva whispered.

"He had no choice. There's no telling what CID would do to him. Right now, the only ones that know this are the three of us and Ducky. As soon as Gorman finds his wits, he's going to call Sorenson, and then there's going to be a manhunt for McGee on a scale of which we hasn't been seen since the Port to Port killer."

For the first time, no one responded.

"In a few minutes, I'm going to have to get off the phone with you and tell Fornell about this. When I get back to my house, I'm going to be taken into custody along with Ducky and Abby. We're all going to be arrested. I don't see any other scenario. As far as they can tell, we've done nothing but circumvent their investigation. No one's going to be looking for Escondido. McGee just proved his guilt."

"He had no choice, Gibbs!" Ziva sounded teary.

"It doesn't matter."

"Ziva, Boss is telling us not to come in."

"No I'm not, Tony. I can't do that. It's too much to ask."

"But you know he needs help. Plus, someone needs to continue investigating Escondido."

"You'll end up on the FBI's ten most wanted list right beside McGee, Tony."

"It's better than sitting in an interrogation room at CID waiting for the news that they killed McGee in a high speed chase."

"Boss, come with us."

There was a pause. "I can't. If I don't go in, Ducky and Abby are going to have to take the brunt of the interrogation from CID. I have to protect them."

"I can do this without Ziva. It's better if only one of us is in the crossfire."

"Well, that's too bad, Tony, 'cause I'm the one who actually knows where he's headed."

"Ziva, if you know something…" Tony growled.

"Why have a former Mossad agent unless it is to exploit my skills? Gibbs, we're going to be hanging up on you now. Our phones will be burned within the next hour so we'll be unreachable—"

"Listen ya' little ninja, I'm running this op."

"Tony, listen to her. She knows how to do this better than either of us. I'm hanging up now. Neither one of you better break my heart. You hear me! Find him and keep him safe."

"Got it, Boss."

"We'll be careful, Gibbs."

The phones disconnected, and Gibbs leaned against the wall of the hotel lobby. He had a ball of fear in his gut big enough to choke a horse. He spotted Fornell and Abby headed in his direction and he straightened up, steeling himself for what was to come.

….

Pain shot up his arm as he tugged at the splints on his fingers. The bandages were grimy now, and the ones pulled off his wrist lay in a pile on his feet. Sitting up against the brick of a building on a busy street, no one paid attention to him. He was in inner city Baltimore now; picked because no one stared much at people on these mean streets, but chosen also because he was waiting for a city bus.

He was glad Ducky hadn't given him keys to his beloved roadster, but the sedan McGee took was now parked with the keys on the seat down a side street. He was sure that it would be stolen and stripped before the police would ever find it.

He pulled the last of the bandages off and yelped. An African American woman in a maid's uniform eyed him warily. He looked down at his badly swollen fingers and winced. He'd used his left fist to beat Gorman, and those knuckles were badly swollen and his damaged wrist ached terribly. None of it compared to the pain in his side whenever he shifted. Something had happened to his cracked ribs when he slammed into Gorman, but there was no time for him to assess the damage.

Ducky had $200 dollars in his wallet that McGee had taken. He'd used some of it to buy an old t-shirt, used Nikes, and baseball cap in a thrift store. It wasn't much of a disguise, but with his pale skin and bruises, he was hoping to pass for a meth addict waiting for a score. The look on the woman's face whenever she glanced at him told him he probably doing a good job. He saw the bus coming toward them. Getting to his feet with his damaged hands and his bad side took all of his strength, and he had to grit his teeth hard to keep from screaming.

….

Ducky cocked his head and looked at his bruised face in the mirror behind Director Purcell. It had been decades since he'd been in a proper dustup, and he was examining the work Gorman had accomplished with a single blow.

"Dr. Mallard, can we have your attention please?"

Startled, he looked over at an agitated Leon Vance who was now in interrogation with Director Purcell of Army CID.

"Yes Director."

Vance sat down again. "This is very serious, Dr. Mallard. You aided Agent McGee in a very ill-advised escape; the possible end result of which could be devastating to all of us. Do you not understand the seriousness of what you've done?"

Ducky leaned forward. "I do and I accept the consequences for it. Gorman gave no explanation as to why his plans were to change, and I reacted out of fear of his actions. I can not be forgiven this indiscretion if it results in harm to my colleague and friend, Timothy, but the events of the last few days left me in little doubt as to Gorman's plans to further brutalize him. Gorman acts like the Gestapo, and it scared me to have Timothy in his custody again."

"It was not your call to make, Dr. Mallard," Purcell said, pounding the table.

"Rodney, you have the evidence of Gorman's abuse. Surely, that's a mitigating factor."

Purcell turned to Vance. "Gorman is a fossil, a relic from another era. He's out. That was a given from the moment you showed me those photos two days ago, but you and your people keep acting like this whole thing is a simple misunderstanding that we can clear up like a couple of old friends. There has been a serious breach to this country's national security, and your agent sits at the center of it. I was willing to swallow the story of McGee being framed until our investigation led us to a murder with your agent smack in the middle of it. If this doesn't end well, those of us not in jail are going to be looking for new jobs. You understand that, right Leon?"

Vance looked like he'd just swallowed nails. "Rodney, I promised you he wouldn't run and he did. Ultimately, this falls on me. Let me talk to the good doctor here. Dr. Mallard has faced tougher sons of bitches than you and I will ever be. We all care about a good outcome here."

Purcell nodded and left the room. Vance folded his arms and regard Ducky. "We both care about him. How long do you think he'll last out there? I want you to remember that no one searching for him knows gentle, hardworking McGee. CID is out there, FBI, the state police, U.S. Marshal Service, and Secret Service. All they picture is some soulless kid selling secrets so he can have a house on the beach in the Virgin Islands. I want you to close your eyes and imagine what it'll be like when they corner him somewhere, and he puts his hands out in surrender, but some adrenaline junky agent with visions of his name in the papers mistakes his movements and opens fire. Our McGee will have fifty bullet holes in him before anyone can get hold of the situation. And no one will be looking for the real criminal because the circumstantial case against McGee is so very strong."

His mouth a thin line, Ducky hissed, "You think I'm naïve to that possibility? If I'd had an hour to think about it, maybe I wouldn't have pushed him to run, but I didn't. All I knew was that the case against him was growing bigger, and he had no control over his destiny. Neither Timothy nor I knew there was a murder. Unless he's called someone, he probably doesn't know it still."

"Unless he's the one who killed him."

"Director!"

"There's no more room for me to play my gut. Doing that was a luxury I shouldn't have indulged in. Gibbs has fostered an attitude among his team that the law comes in second place to his own personal beliefs. God help me because I've always known that about him, and I've looked the other way. McGee could die out there because of it."

There was a long silence between the two men. Then Vance sighed, "Do you know where he is?"

Ducky shook his head. "If I did, I would tell you. I truly mean that."

Vance nodded. "We should get someone to look at your face. Gorman packs a mean, right hook."

"Don't bother. An X-ray would show nothing but a big hole in my head. I'm truly sorry for what I did."

…

The sun beat down on him as he leaned against the storage unit. After riding the bus for an hour, it took another two for him to walk to his final destination. He was now in a vast city of storage units, rows and rows of the same white gleaming garage doors tattooed with numbers. The trick now was to remember if her number was 1536, 1635, or 1365. McGee's usually razor sharp brain was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and panic.

He'd already checked the first two numbers, and so he took a deep breath and stumbled down the row containing 1365. At the door, he closed his eyes and struggled to remember the code. This was easier because he'd created a mnemonic for the number. He tapped in the code, and almost shouted in relief when the door rose for him. Inside it was dark and he fumbled for the light. The space was neatly arranged with a file cabinet, a safe, and a clothing rack. There was a chair next to an old metal desk and he sank into it gratefully.

Then there was a click and he turned his head sharply. Tony DiNozzo was standing at the doorway pointing a gun at him.

…..

Ducky raised his head when the door opened and Gibbs and Abby came in followed by Vance. Abby gasped at the sight of Ducky's face and rushed him. He winced as she hugged him tightly.

Gibbs turned to Vance. "I would've beat Gorman senseless too."

"Forget it, Gibbs. There's no way to spin this in McGee's favor. Too many other problems. McGee is public enemy number one right now. We'll be lucky if he gets out of this alive, innocent or not."

Abby looked up. "Please don't lose faith, Director. Please. Tim is innocent."

Vance sighed. "Right now, I'm trying to save this agency, our jobs, and your freedom. I don't have time for blind faith. He ran. That comes at a cost and if he doesn't pay it, the rest of you will have to."

Gibbs was strangely silent. Vance looked at him. "DiNozzo and David aren't coming in, are they? They've gone rogue."

Gibbs looked up. "It's who we are, Leon."

Vance scraped back a metal chair and sat. "I know and most days I would agree with it. Your team is the best the Navy has to offer. Hell, I'd put you up against any law enforcement team on the Eastern Seaboard. But Gibbs, team can't be everything. You can't lose the forest for the trees. Even if the team is right, it can't be worth more than the needs of the greater whole."

Gibbs leaned toward him. "If we give up, Leon, it means that there is still someone out there with a disk that carries U.S. missile codes. They will find a buyer, and it won't matter if we change the codes because our strategic intentions will become known to the world. You know in your heart that McGee had nothing to do with those codes."

Leon Vance dropped his face in his hands. "I wish I could do something to help him, Jethro. I really do."

"If you can't help McGee, then follow Escondido. There are answers inside that man. I can feel it."

"Purcell is going to want to question you."

Gibbs nodded. "He can have whatever he wants out of me. Please try to get Duck and Abby out of here."

Vance got up wearily. "Dr. Mallard is facing federal charges for his part in McGee's escape. He stays. I'll see what I can do for Miss Scuito."

Gibbs' eyes followed him to the door. "You know the truth of it, Leon. That's what will save us. Don't lose sight of that."

Vance shook his head and left the room.

…

"Put the gun down, Tony."

He shook his head. "Running was the dumbest thing you could ever do."

"I beat Gorman up. It happened so fast. He hit Ducky so hard and I couldn't stop myself."

"You went to visit Roomy a few weeks ago."

The abrupt change in focus startled McGee. "Yeah, when I figured out his address, I went to visit him. He and I left on bad terms in Miami. I wanted to know what he was thinking. I got the feeling that he didn't understand why it was wrong to break into Abby's room. The guy is weird. I was worried because he was living so close. I hadn't expected that."

"You didn't mention that this morning before we left to go see him."

McGee shrugged. "I didn't think…there are so many other things right now…does it matter? What did he say? I had to get pretty firm with him. He still wanted to be friends with Abby, but I don't think his idea of friendship…did I scare him?"

Tony lowered the gun an inch. "Didn't Gorman tell you anything about why he was taking you back to CID?"

"No. Why are you pointing a gun at me, Tony? You think I'm going to beat you up too?"

Tony put the gun back in his holster and took off his sunglasses. "Roomy is dead. Shot twice in the face at least a week ago. We found his body. You were spotted arguing with him. Several people made an ID. His case manager said he was afraid of you."

McGee stared at Tony for a long time without moving a muscle. Tony came in and crouched in front of him. "Probie, I'm sorry for doing that to you. I needed a genuine reaction. So much is at stake. Gibbs, Ducky, and Abby are in custody. Ziva and I haven't turned ourselves in. We're with you now."

McGee struggled to stand, but the pain in his ribs left him doubled over. Tony reached over to help him, but McGee pushed him away and stumbled for the door. He vomited outside on the concrete.

"Tim, I'm sorry."

McGee leaned against the open doorway and heaved some more. "I'll turn myself in. I'll confess to everything. I can get all of you out of this, but you have to promise me that you'll investigate Escondido. He has to be the one with the disc. Promise me, Tony."

"You didn't do this thing. You didn't any of this so there will be no more confessions!"

McGee shook his head. "I can't…I can't get a head of this thing. I want so badly to keep all of you out of this. It's all I want."

Tony was in front of him lifting his chin. "Then stop doing that! Stop thinking about us! It's getting in the way. This is a puzzle, Tim. It's what you were built for. Start working it."

McGee stared at him and then he nodded. "I need a computer and a place to work."

Tony's mouth curled into a smile. "That's the Probie I know and love. Now tell me what the hell's going on with this little love nest you and Ziva share."

His eyebrows went up. "The storage garage? It's a way station, a safe place for assassins when their cover is blown."

"You're not an assassin, McGee."

"She thought…there might be need for it some day. Look for yourself. In the file cabinet, there are new identities, cash, clothes, everything you need in order to disappear."

Tony sighed. "And I don't know anything about this because…"

"Come on, Tony. You know how you are at keeping secrets, and she thought you wouldn't like it. Let me show you something."

He went in and opened the second drawer of the cabinet. He pulled out a large manila envelope and handed it to Tony. Tony opened it and found a drivers' license with his face on it, credit cards, a birth certificate, and $3,000 in cash. He frowned. "Francisco Malone?"

McGee shrugged. "Ziva picked the names. I only got to buy the clothes for you. I'm Joseph Martinez. I couldn't convince her that Martinez as a name was a hard sell for a guy who looks like me. You know what she's like."

"And the money?"

"It's mine. Better than losing it in a money market account again."

"You're a wild man, my friend." Tony pulled him in for a hug and McGee howled in pain.

"Tony, leave him alone!"

They turned to find Ziva in the doorway. She brushed past Tony and stood in front of McGee. "Let me see." She carefully pulled up his t-shirt and examined the purple and yellow bruises on his torso. "Fighting with Gorman made this worse."

He grimaced as he pulled the t-shirt down again. "It's okay, Ziva."

Tony frowned at her. "Who the hell is watching Escondido?"

She sighed. "We're working for Mossad now. There is a team on Escondido, and we have a safe house waiting for us."

"What!"

"I called my father. He's just as worried about those missile codes as we are."

"Ziva, we're not going to work for a foreign government, and we are certainly not giving U.S. missile codes to Eli David," Tony growled.

"I know. I am an American now. My allegiance is to this country. He knows that too, but the alternative is letting that disc get into Iranian hands. He will help us find it, and he knows not to cross me."

"Ziva, you called your dad," McGee said softly.

She gave him a sad smile and patted his cheek. "For you, I would call Hitler."

"We're taking the money, but we're leaving the ID's behind. This whole storage garage looks as incriminating as hell. CID will think we've been working for the Iranians if they find this."

Ziva shrugged. "Take the cash then. Let's lock up and get out of here."

McGee grabbed her arm. "Are you sure? It doesn't have to be like this. I'll take the money and go. The two of you turn yourselves in. It's my fight, Ziva."

She stared into his eyes. "The next time we're pinned down in a firefight, and I need to know if you have my back, will you be there?"

"Always."

"Then I will always have yours. Now quit wasting time. We have work to do."

McGee stood there like a statue, unable to form words. Ziva put everything back in and locked it down. Then DiNozzo took him by the arm and steered him toward the car. "On the way to this safe house, Papa DiNozzo is going to tell both of you just what he thinks about you keeping secrets like this little forgery den from him."

"McGee, I told you he would be a problem, did I not?" Ziva rolled her eyes as she got in the driver's seat.

…..

Admiral McGee hadn't felt this out of control since he was a young boy and his father told him he couldn't study art any more. He had such a deep love for painting; nothing made him happier than being alone in a room with his brushes and oils, stretching a canvas and imagining possibilities. His father had taken that away from him. It split his focus, and the young man needed to prepare for Annapolis. He hated his father for years after that, and even to this day, he feared that if he picked up a brush, he would lose everything he worked so hard to achieve.

He pushed his son almost as hard as he'd been pushed. He knew Timothy's love for writing, but he ignored it and saved what faint praise he offered for his proficiency in math and science. His wife showed him the novel that Tim published, but he felt embarrassed rather than proud. He never said anything to his son about it. It would only encourage frivolity. As it was, the boy had only achieved mediocre success following a stubborn Marine Sergeant on a law enforcement team.

Now, he was basically imprisoned in a set of rooms in a D.C. hotel while his son was fighting for his freedom and most probably, his life. It was bad enough that he had no control over his own life, but coupled with what was happening to his only son, his life felt like a nightmare.

There was a knock on his door and he looked up, surprised. He hadn't been allowed access to his aides, and his lunch had been taken away already. The door opened, and FBI agent Fornell appeared. The Admiral tensed. Good news would've undoubtedly been delivered with a phone call.

Fornell nodded at him. "Special Agent Gibbs asked me to see you."

"Let's skip the formalities, Agent Fornell. What's the news?"

"Your son assaulted a CID agent and escaped custody."

The Admiral closed his eyes. This hadn't even been a part of the outcomes he feared. "That's not my son."

"CID Sorenson and Agent DiNozzo were following up a lead with a possible suspect. They found him murdered; dead probably more than a week. Your son was seen arguing with him. He's the chief suspect."

The Admiral shook his head and looked away. "What do you want from me?"

Fornell sat down across from him. "Nothing. Gibbs wanted me to keep you updated. You need to know that Gibbs still believes in your son. He's in CID custody now. There is a warrant out for your son's teammates. They won't come in because they want to find Tim before he gets hurt. Your son is in a lot of trouble right now, and his team is willing to sacrifice everything. They aren't giving up on him."

"I don't know what to say."

"There 4 law enforcement agencies actively looking for your son. He is considered armed and dangerous. I don't know if he'll survive this, but I'm going to do my best to find him and bring him into custody safely. I don't think your son is guilty any more than Gibbs does, but we're all constrained by the duties of our positions. We're not going to give up on him."

The Admiral rubbed at the corners of his eyes. "Tell Agent Gibbs that I'm grateful to him. I never thought that my son was part of something special at NCIS. I'm beginning to realize that I was very wrong about that."

Fornell got up and The Admiral looked at him. "Do you have any children?"

"A 9 year old named Emily."

"We've both chosen careers that make it difficult for us to be the parents that our children deserve."

Fornell looked down. "Every day I think how unfair it would be to Emily if I died because of the job I chose."

"I can't be a father because I've chosen to serve my country instead."

"Admiral, when I think of the man that I think your son is, I know it's possible for my Emily to turn out all right too. Your son's character is the very reason people are willing to sacrifice so much for him. It seems to me like you did a pretty good job."

…

"She's lying." McGee seemed almost feverish as he paced the living room of the safe house.

Tony shrugged. "You said that you were arguing with Roomy in front of his apartment three weeks ago. It's conceivable that he would've felt threatened and told his case manager."

"No, not that part. You said she didn't check on him for a week. That's wrong. I talked to her the day I argued with Roomy. She says she never misses more than a day or two. She monitors his medication."

"You sure?"

"She told me not to worry about him bothering Abby because they monitor him daily. She promised me she'd let me know if she hadn't been in contact with him for more than two days."

"Maybe, she sucks as a case manager."

McGee snorted. "You saw her, Tony. Beautiful blonde woman. Dressed like an executive. Very competent. She almost seems like she didn't belong there."

Tony nodded. "Something about her was off. I was so distracted by the thought of you as the chief suspect that I didn't really think about it."

McGee put his hands on his hips. "Well, I must be really important to you for you to ignore a beautiful woman."

"What can I say, Probie?"

"Her name is Patti Miller. Let me see what I can find out about her online."

"Get an address, McGee. I'll go see where she lives."

McGee frowned. "You really shouldn't leave here. Too dangerous."

"They're all watching airports and highways. Nobody thinks we're still investigating the case."

Ziva appeared in the doorway. "I checked with the team on Escondido. He's holed up in his apartment. Hasn't left all day. They are monitoring his cell phone. No calls in or out."

McGee nodded. "I need that number. I have a hunch."

"The car you're using is clean?"

Ziva turned to Tony. "Of course, Mossad doesn't use stolen cars. I'll go with you."

Tony gestured at McGee. "One of us should stay with the fugitive."

Tim closed his eyes. "Please, go. Both of you. I have a laptop and everything I need to do my work. You'll only distract me."

Ziva nodded, a worried look on her face. "There's food in the refrigerator. You have a burn phone. If you need anything, call us. We are the only ones who know where you are."

He nodded. "I'll behave, Ziva. Now go."

….

A few minutes later, he was watching them drive off from the second story window of the safe house. For the first time in over a week, he felt okay. He was still exhausted and badly frightened, but he was finally going to work the case that could cost him his life, and he desperately needed that control again.

…

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry this took so long. A bad case of bronchitis is mostly to blame, but it also took forever for me to put together the pieces of how to make this chapter work. It's intense and it's long. Believe it or not, the next chapter is the last one for this story. If you are still reading, please let me know. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 6

The door to the interrogation room opened and Gibbs lifted his head. Purcell came in to the room. "Have a good nap, Agent Gibbs?"

He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"While you've been sleeping, your people have been busy."

Gibbs said nothing. He hadn't slept a wink. He'd spent the last 7 hours praying that his team would make it through the night.

"I should start with some updates. First, a member of the British embassy woke me at 3 a.m. to demand Dr. Mallard's release. You didn't mention that he held dual citizenship, but, of course, you wouldn't. What would be the fun in that? The British are very particular about how we interrogate one of their subjects. You'll be happy to know he is now in a federal court building getting bail. We had to convince him to leave. He wanted to stay until you and Miss Scuito were released."

Gibbs nodded. Old Duck would be there 'til the end.

"I found Gorman's wallet in my mail. There was a note attached that said, "Ready for retirement." Bet you thought that was funny."

Gibbs stifled a grin. McGee's sense of humor was a dry one and Purcell was clearly in no mood for what he really thought. "I want to see Abby Scuito."

Purcell shook his head. "Not possible. Like the rest of your hamsters, she's been busy. She stole a cell phone off an agent. Used the battery from that plus some food item from her evening meal to form a little explosive. Tried to blow the door on her room. Didn't work but she set off all the fire alarms on the west end of the building. My lab is going nuts trying to figure out how she did it. I wasn't interested in any more hijinks so I gave her to Fornell. He seems to have an endless capacity for your brand of nonsense."

Gibbs couldn't hide his grin anymore.

"I'm glad you think this is funny. Your team is still out there. Their faces are plastered all over ZNN. They are public enemy number one. Do you think this is going to end well?"

"My team is innocent."

Purcell nodded. "I can believe that DiNozzo and David are. I know you foster the kind of loyalty that one finds only in a foxhole. I'm sure that they'll believe in McGee up to the moment someone finds the disc on him. Then it's going to break their hearts, but that will be the least of their problems. I just think it's sad that their loyalty will be their ruin."

"McGee didn't do this thing."

"There isn't a jury in the world that wouldn't convict him. There is too much evidence. A military court isn't going to sit on this for more than a day. McGee is a traitor and a murderer, and if we don't stop him, he's going to be responsible for soldier deaths."

"If that were possible, I would be helping you capture him. I would sit at his execution."

"Gibbs, your problem is that you're too arrogant to recognize when you're wrong. That character flaw makes you just as responsible for what happens to David and DiNozzo as McGee is."

Gibbs couldn't stand as he was handcuffed to the table, but he raised his head to Purcell. "I know that boy as well as I know anything. He didn't do this thing. He's incapable of it. My people are out there trying to keep him alive."

"Save it, Gibbs."

"I want to talk to Vance."

Purcell cocked his head. "That's another funny one. I tried to talk to him this morning, but he's unavailable. His secretary says he's gone hunting."

Gibbs closed his eyes.

"I'll have an agent bring in some breakfast for you. I don't want any more complaints about CID hospitality."

Purcell shut the door behind him, and Gibbs cursed loudly, tugging at his cuffs in frustration. They were all fighting for their lives and he could do nothing to assist. It was the worst kind of torture.

…

"Eli, how are you, my friend? Took a while to get you on the phone." Vance leaned against his car in an abandoned parking lot. Balboa's team loitered nearby.

"Leon, how's the weather?"

"Hot and sticky, exactly like the situation your daughter has gotten herself into."

"Really? I do not hear from my beautiful Ziva very much."

"We've known each other too long for lies, Eli. She and her team are on the run. Special Agent Timothy McGee has been accused of espionage. They've disappeared. Every law enforcement acronym in the book is looking for them. So I had to ask myself. How did they disappear so effectively, so quickly?"

"I understand that the missing disc contains missile codes. This is something that you should've alerted us to as soon as it happened, Leon."

"Don't change the subject!"

"We need to work together on this."

Agreed! Now, where are my agents?"

"They are safe, Leon, and they are going to stay safe until we recover the disc."

"If they are working for you, that constitutes a huge betrayal to their country."

"They are working for no one! They are safe, and they will stay that way until this is resolved!"

Eli, those are American codes, not for your eyes."

"Of course. You do not want me to see what is pointed at my country. I will not argue with you. The bigger issue is to keep the disc out of the hands of the Iranians."

"This is unlike you, Eli. For all you know, McGee could be guilty as sin."

"The last time I was in Washington, that young man was part of the NCIS detail at my safe house. I played many games of backgammon with him. He has neither the stomach nor the heart for betraying his country. Power and money have little meaning for him. He lives merely to serve his country."

"You learned all of this from backgammon."

"A man is unguarded when he thinks he is merely playing a game."

"For what it's worth, I don't think McGee did it either, but the evidence is daunting. And it will not look good for any of them to be found with the Mossad."

"Leon, as you have seen, I do not have control over my daughter."

"Tell them I am looking for them. I want to help. Tell them to contact me."

"I will pass it on, my friend. Shalom." The phone went dead.

Eli David's nonchalance had always stuck in Vance's craw. It seemed as nothing could ruffle the Mossad Director. Vance shook his head and signaled for Rusty Balboa.

Balboa came trotting over. "What's the plan?"

"I know they're not running. They're working the case. It's the only thing that makes sense. We work the case. That's our best chance of finding them."

"Director, you don't really think…"

"Balboa, I don't think anything. Let's just 'em before someone else does."

….

DiNozzo was wearing a t-shirt and jeans as he knelt next to the old man in the lobby. "Seen this guy before?"

The old man looked at him warily. "You were dressed a lot nicer yesterday."

"Yeah, well it's casual day at the precinct. Look at the picture."

"Yesterday, you said you were NCIS."

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's complicated, Pops. Just trust me when I say I'm trying to solve the murder of your neighbor."

"That guy was weird."

"Look at the picture. Ever seen him around?"

The man peered at a picture of Escondido. Before the man could answer, another man called out, "Hey Harold, look at the telly! Your friend there is a wanted man!"

DiNozzo looked up to see an old picture of him on ZNN. "That's not me."

Harold narrowed his eyes. "Looks like you."

Tony shook his head and showed his profile. "Get a good look at me. I'm much more handsome than that chump."

"I don't know."

"Come on, Harold, do you know the guy in the picture?"

Harold looked at the photo. "That's Patti's weird friend."

"Not Roomy's?" 

"Maybe. I don't know. I guess I saw him hanging out with that hot chick, Patti, more."

Tony patted his shoulder. "Good work, Harold."

"You better run, boy, 'cause I'm calling the real police now."

Tony gave him a big wink and stood up to leave.

Harold called after him. "You seem like a nice fella'. I'm going to give you a five minute head start."

…

"Ziva, I need better screen captures," he said into the phone.

"I am doing the best I can. I can't just stand behind her and take pictures of everything she's doing on her laptop." She leaned against a high top table in the coffee shop and pointed her phone at the blonde seated at the counter.

"I just need a few more screens so I can know where she's been. It'll be easier to track her."

"Okay McGee, I got it." She thumbed him off, and regarded the back of the beautiful woman. A person sitting next to the blonde finished their coffee and got off her stool. Ziva pulled her thick hair out of her ponytail, fluffed it, and then slid into the empty seat.

Patti Miller looked in her direction and Ziva gave her a warm smile.

….

McGee stared at the blinking light on the laptop. It was Abby. After his trip to L.A. with Gibbs a few years ago, he and Abby set up a confidential space on the internet if they ever needed it, secure even from NCIS. Sometimes, they met up there on the weekend to discuss work if one of them was on an unsecured computer. That blinking light told him she was there, but he didn't move to open it. Abby wouldn't tell anyone about their space; she would hold out under pressure unless Gibbs was being threatened. He didn't know if that was the situation or if the ever resourceful Abby Scuito had gained access to an actual unsecured computer.

He stared at it some more. Posting a simple message stating that he was safe would surely bring her some comfort, and there was no way it could be traced. Even on the simple laptop Mossad had left at the safe house, he knew enough tricks so that he couldn't be tracked. Yet, it felt wrong; just another way to pull her into something he'd worked so hard to protect her from.

It was weird. Abby was strong that people realized. She acted like a child sometimes, but McGee had come to know that it was part of her brilliance. Her naïvete was actually an endless sense of wonder that made her a terrific scientist. Authentic curiosity was like spun gold. Sometimes, her social skills were a little unsophisticated, but it never bothered McGee. His need to protect her was something primal; deeper than he had words to express. He loved her powerfully, and yet it was effortless. He accepted her for who she was in every way. In the beginning, it had left him vulnerable. He was the sweet kid with the 'Mom' tattoo, ever eager to please. Her unpredictable moods stung him terribly. With time, he grew as a professional and a person. When she got angry with him now, it didn't devastate him and it never lasted. Besides, he saw her as a free spirit, and as such, allowed that she was subject to unusual reactions and interpretations. These days, he tended to sit back and watch it all with nothing other than passing interest.

At work, they stimulated and complemented each other so completely that she felt like a part of him. There were moments when he contemplated something deeper between them, but he couldn't imagine disturbing what they already had.

He clicked on their site, and stared at her message. "Whatever you need, I'm here."

She could help so much. His fingers ghosted over her words. She was the ying to his yang, and she would undoubtedly focus him, but he couldn't do it. He clicked the screen closed, and returned to the blurry screen captures Ziva was sending him.

…..

Abby leaned forward, her chin in her hands and watched the silent screen. Fornell leaned over her shoulder. "Anything?"

"He doesn't want to involve me. I can tell. It's like he thinks I'm a child." Abby sat at the cluttered desk in his office.

He patted her back. "He doesn't want any of you involved. It's who he is."

She looked up at him. "I can trust you?"

"Abby, there isn't a country in this world where I could safely escape Jethro Gibbs' wrath if I crossed one of his team."

She frowned. "You did kind of frame Tony for murder."

"Well, that was your lab assistant. I was just investigating. Never actually charged him, if you recall."

"If you double cross me, I'll gut you with a—"

He squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered. "My dear, your…threats are duly noted. Now, let's find your geek."

….

The CID agent approached Gibbs carefully. "Now Gunny, I hear that you threw breakfast at the last agent that tried to feed you. Let's not have that. The director wants you to have all the hospitality we can offer. Seems we were a bit short on it with your agent. So, I'm going to put this sandwich and coffee down and then I'm going to uncuff you. Got it?"

Gibbs barely acknowledged him. "Am I being held under the Patriot Act?"

"Gunny?"

"You heard me! Am I being held without the right to a lawyer? Am I being held as a terrorist?"

"I guess I don't know. I'm just here on lunch duty."

Gibbs gave the CID agent the full force of his steely glare. "You put that food down on this table, and you're going to be scraping it off the wall."

"Gunny. That's just plain childish. A hunger strike? You oughta' know better."

"I don't eat until I know what's happened to my people. You need to take the food and leave. Find out if I am a terror suspect because if I'm not, I want a lawyer and I want a lawyer now."

The agent stared at him for a moment and then nodded. "I heard you were the real deal, Gunny. I guess you are. I'll go see what I can find out for you."

The agent left and Gibbs shook his head. He was exhausted and hungry, but now of that meant anything as long as the well being of his people was in question.

….

Tony picked lightly through the suitcase once more and then picked up his phone. "Hey McGee, I'm in Patti Miller's apartment now and I found her passport and tickets to Belize. Lady's getting ready for a trip."

"You broke in!"

"Calm down. On the list of things we're in trouble for, this doesn't even rank. We're rogue, remember? What are you doing?"

"I got enough screen captures from Ziva's camera to start tracking Miller. I hacked her email and her bank accounts."

"Damn, you're just as dangerous as they say."

Tony winced as he was greeted with silence. "Sorry Tim. Bad joke."

"You should see these emails, Tony. She and Escondido were going at it hot and heavy. You get the feeling that she's really the one in charge. They don't say much about Roomy except to refer to a 'job' he was doing."

"You think that's all about stealing the missile codes?"

"Yeah. Roomy was the genius hacker. I don't think Escondido could've done it all on his own. They were probably playing him to get to the codes."

"That's good, McGee. Finally feels like we're getting a handle on this thing."

"Tony, there's an email exchange with a guy that she's meeting at midnight tonight. I don't have a location. He says he'll call when the time gets closer. I've been trying to trace his email, but it's a phony. Pretty sophisticated too. I think this might be the Iranians. I'm going to dig harder."

Tony sat down on the bed and sighed. "That's it. It's gotta' be. She's gonna' meet with them, hand off the codes, and get out of the country."

"We should call someone...the director?…Fornell? We need back up on this."

"Not a chance. It would take days to convince them. We don't have that kind of time. Ziva and I are going to tail her. Your job is to start documenting the evidence."

"You're not going to that meet without me."

Tony smiled into the phone. "So it's the Three Musketeers, huh?"

"This is my fight, Tony."

"If it's happening to you, it's happening to all of us. Don't worry, McGoo. There'll be plenty for you to do."

…

McGee stared at the name on the screen. Omar Nasir. He'd never heard it before, but a feeling was growing in his gut. Everything else happening to him was momentarily forgotten. This was who he was; the geek who could solve the puzzle and this particular puzzle took him to a man named Omar Nasir. This was what made him special. He was going to take this name, and look for it in databases in the CIA, FBI, and NCIS. There were going to be no asking for permission or letters of forgiveness for hacking this time. This was his game now, and all the decisions were his. All nervousness about committing crimes was over. There was a man out there that was going to buy U.S. missile codes tonight and he was the only one who could stop it. There were no rules left to follow. McGee huddled over the laptop and started breaking through firewalls, his fingers dancing wildly across the keyboard.

…..

Ziva climbed into the car next to Tony. "I followed her all over the city. All she did was stop at boutiques and buy beachwear."

"She's getting ready for the beaches in Belize."

Ziva narrowed her eyes. "She has no soul. How do you betray your country and then plan a vacation?"

Tony shrugged. "She is hot."

She punched him in the gut and Tony leaned over with a groan. He looked up at her. "I deserved that, didn't I?"

Ziva looked at her phone. "It's 5 p.m. She doesn't have to meet with him until midnight. I'm sure she won't leave her apartment for at least a few hours."

"Did you bring food?"

"No. I thought you would. You were the one driving around. Do you think we can get a pizza delivery to the car?"

Ziva sighed. "Are we really going to do this without backup?"

"Nobody left to trust."

Ziva sank back in her seat. "Wish we could talk to Gibbs."

"I know."

"This is no way to set up an op. We should call my father and bring in Mossad."

Tony snorted. "We do that and daddy dearest will pull this out from under us. He'll take the disc."

"It is better than the Iranians."

"Ziva, no foreign government can have that disc, not even Israeli."

She closed her eyes. "I know. I know."

"We don't do this right, and we're all be spending the rest of our lives in prison. Ready for that?"

She looked at him. "I can't live with letting McGee go down for something he didn't do."

He nodded. "Losing him to something like this would be worse than prison, I think."

She reached over and took his hand. "It'll always be like that for us. We'll always be there for each other."

He squeezed her back. "Okay. So we'll do this because it's what we do. We're going to find this disc, and we're going to get our geek back."

She smiled. "Yes."

"Hey," he gestured. "Look."

Patti Miller was moving toward her car rapidly, pulling a suitcase and a carry on.

"She's leaving earlier than we thought."

"It's okay, Ziva. We got her." Tony waited until she backed out and turned the corner of her street. Then he started to move in behind her. At the stop sign, a familiar sedan appeared.

Tony cursed and then looked into his rearview mirror. Two more sedans appeared. "Damn! It's Balboa and his people! We've been burned."

The vehicles blocked them in, and agents with guns came out of the trees.

Ziva grabbed the phone. "McGee, they got us! Miller ran! You gotta' go. My father won't protect you now."

Agents moved in on them from all directions, guns drawn, screaming at them to put down their weapons. Tony shook his head in frustration, and put his hands on the steering wheel where everyone could see them. Ziva dropped the phone in frustration and put her hands up as well.

…

McGee dropped the phone and jumped to his feet. He started pacing the room. It had all gone to hell. They'd been so close. He'd even allowed himself to imagine getting his life back. Now, Miller was on the run, and nobody knew where she was going to meet up with Nasir.

He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to quiet his breathing. It would be only minutes before Mossad would descend on him, and he knew that Eli David would have no use for him without any chance of finding the disc.

The disc was going to get passed off, and his life was going to come to an end. Once arrested, he would have virtually no defense. Spending the rest of his life as a traitor would be excruciating, but what it would do to his family and his team was unbearable.

In that moment, the thought of eating his gun held appeal. It would bring everything to a close, and his team would no longer have an obligation to him. The idea filled him with relief. He pulled the gun Ziva gave him off the table and sat down on the couch. As macabre as it was, he knew it was important to take a moment to really think through how to do this. He'd been on the scene for many suicides, and he needed to remember what he knew about how to do this with the least amount of trouble.

Angle was important, and he couldn't lose his nerve. If he only injured himself, he might not have strength to finish it properly. He closed his eyes for a moment before deciding to shot himself in the right temple. He remembered Ducky once talking about the effectiveness of such a maneuver.

A thought popped into his head that he should be leaving notes. The people he loved deserved to know how much he cared; how much they had done to make his life a good and decent one. His throat swelled with emotion. There was so much to say. They were all so special to him. He rubbed at his wet cheeks and told himself that there wasn't time for words. They would have to know in their hearts that he'd hit a wall that couldn't be climbed. They'd have to know how deeply he loved him all.

He choked on his tears and positioned the gun. He closed his eyes and readied himself for the end but nothing happened. He winced and tried again, but he couldn't squeeze the trigger. He dropped his gun hand and the gun tumbled onto the cushions. Then he leaned back, sobbing. "Boss, what are you doing in my head? What do you want me to know? There's no way out of this! I can't survive this! You gotta' understand that! There isn't a rule out there that covers being convicted as a spy, Boss. Nothing covers it!" He covered his face and sobbed. "Get out of my head, Gibbs! You can't help me now!"

For minutes, he lie there with his hands over his face. Slowly, his breathing settled and he felt a sense of calm. He leaned forward but this time he didn't grab for the gun. He got up and paced, mumbling to himself under his breath. And then as quickly as the thought of killing had taken hold, another thought gripped him, but this one had nothing to do with giving up.

….

DiNozzo's hands were cuffed behind his back and he was sitting in the backseat of a sedan. After all his years in law enforcement, he was finally the suspect. The agent in the driver's seat was someone he didn't know, but he didn't try to banter with the kid. He was feeling too much rage for games of any kind.

The passenger door opened, and Leon Vance slid in, turning to face DiNozzo. "I'm sorry it's come to this, Agent DiNozzo. I wish it hadn't. This whole thing has gotten out of hand, and the only way everyone is going to survive this is if you tell me where to find McGee."

Tony glared at him and shook his head.

"Damn it, DiNozzo! They're going to kill him if we don't find him first."

"We were so close, Director. Patti Miller has that disc."

"How do you know that?"

"It all fits. She got close to Roomy and Escondido. We have the email trail. She masterminded this whole thing, and she's meeting with the Iranians tonight at midnight."

"Where?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "We don't know, Director. We were going to follow her to the drop. We were so close! She's the one selling the secrets. She's the one betraying her country, and now there's no way to track her."

"You didn't get the GPS on her car?"

"Didn't have time and didn't have equipment, but it didn't matter because we were following her!"

"You should have trusted me."

"We were this close! McGee isn't a spy!"

"I know. Tell me where he is. I want to help."

Tony shook his head and looked away.

…

Gibbs' head ached. He hadn't gone this long without caffeine in years. He kept his eyes on the table because the lights just exacerbated the throbbing in his temples. He had no sense of time. Agents had tried to feed him three times, and so he assumed that he'd moved into the evening. He knew they were watching him behind the glass, but he didn't care. A good sniper had to be a patient man, and right now, his only job was to wait.

The door opened but he didn't lift his head. He wasn't in the mood for games.

"Jethro!"

He blinked at the sound of Fornell's voice and looked up. Tobias was standing there with Purcell and Vance.

"What? What do you know?"

"We have David and DiNozzo."

Gibbs shook his head. "And you needed to bring me a parade to tell me that."

Fornell turned to Purcell. "Uncuff him."

"This is ridiculous."

"Do it! Nothing happens until he's uncuffed."

Gibbs looked at Fornell in confusion as Purcell worked his cuffs. "What the hell?"

"Vance and I think that a woman named Patti Miller has the disc. She's planning to hand it off tonight at midnight to an Iranian, but we don't know where."

Gibbs stretched his cramped arms and stood. "You believe McGee? Is he still out there?"

Vance shook his head. "Things have taken a pretty wild turn, Gibbs."

Fornell signaled the agent at the door, and he opened it, letting in Agah Bayar.

"What's going on?"

"Bayar here says he knows what McGee's up to, but he won't tell anyone until you're released."

Gibbs looked at Bayar. "What do you know?"

"Your man, McGee, contacted me two hours ago. He believes that Miss Miller will be passing the disc onto an Iranian named Omar Nasir. He didn't know where that would happen, but he has a pretty audacious plan. It took some convincing, but I agreed to help him."

"Spit it out, Bayar. Nobody has time for your theatrics."

"I have run in the same circles as Nasir. McGee asked me to contact him and tell him that I had it on good authority that Miss Miller was an undercover FBI agent, and that the disc in her possession was a plant."

Fornell smiled. "Not bad, McGee."

"He knows that's not enough to keep Nasir from meeting with her so I was instructed to tell him that McGee had the actual disc, and that he could prove hers was a fake."

"Did you do this?"

"Yes, and Nasir will allow McGee to confront Miss Miller with his evidence."

"Where is this going to happen?"

Bayar shook his head. "McGee is a wanted man. He has no belief that any law enforcement agency will back him. He's going in alone."

"He can't prove anything. It's a suicide mission," Vance said softly.

Bayar looked at Gibbs. "He wanted me to tell you that he will do what it takes to keep that disc out of foreign hands."

Gibbs stared at him for a moment and then shook head. "We have to talk to him. I want you to call him. He needs backup. "

Bayar shook his head. "He knows better. That phone's been burned."

"It's a manipulation. McGee is playing all of you."

"Shut up, Purcell!" Vance growled.

Fornell nodded. "We're taking Gibbs. You can invoke the Patriot Act all you want, but I'm the actual Homeland Security guy in this room, and I want Gibbs."

"It's a CID investigation!"

"Missile codes are going into terrorist hands tonight. It's an everyone investigation! We're out of here, Purcell." Fornell pushed Gibbs toward the door and Vance and Bayar followed.

Outside the room, Gibbs grabbed Bayar and pushed him up against the wall. "You contact Nasir and get him to hold off on this meeting!"

Bayar shook his head. "It's too late, Gibbs. This thing has already been set in motion."

Gibbs slammed his fist into the wall beside Bayar's head, but the arms dealer didn't even blink. Gibbs started to say something, but stopped himself, backing up and looking at everyone. "We failed him. All of us. He is innocent and we failed him. Worst of all, I failed him."

He shook his head and strode down the hallway.

….

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This is a long and final chapter. It was like pulling teeth to get this out as my health has been tricky of late. I could've turned this into another 50 pages, but essentially the story was done and so was I. Still, what emerged in this final chapter both surprised and pleased me. I'm eager to hear what you think. Thanks for being such terrific readers and reviewers. Sheila

Smug Bastard

Chapter 8

"Where's my team?" Gibbs barked when he burst out of the CID building. Vance pointed to a car and Gibbs ran over. DiNozzo and David were handcuffed in the back seat. Gibbs turned on Vance. "Unhook 'em. Do it now!"

Vance nodded at the agents standing by the car, and within a few moments, Tony and Ziva were climbing out of the car rubbing at chafed wrists.

"Tell me where McGee is!"

"Boss!"

Gibbs whirled and pointed at Agah Bayar. "McGee reached out to him, and Bayar put him in touch with the Iranians. McGee is going to meet with them on his own. Going to try and convince them that Miller is selling them a fake."

Tony looked at Ziva. "Tell him the burn number."

"Not going to work. I told McGee to kill that phone."

"Try it anyway."

Ziva pointed to an agent. "I need my phone."

The agent tossed it to her and she dialed. Then she shook her head. "It's dead."

Gibbs looked at Bayar. "Contact the Iranians."

"And tell them what. They are already suspicious. I did this only because your man said it would help you. I had hoped that you and I would work together on future cases."

"What does McGee think he can accomplish?" Tony asked.

"He's desperate. You tell me, Tony."

Ziva groaned. "The safe house is full of equipment. He knows that the Iranians aren't going to take him seriously for very long. There are guns, semi-automatics, knives; whatever he wants."

"Are there explosives, Ziva?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, there is C4 and other things."

"Boss, you don't really think—"

"DiNozzo, he thinks his life is over. His one chance at redemption died when you two were picked up. He has to get to where Miller is and shut her down. There is no endgame left for him. You know him better than anyone. What is he thinking?"

Tony closed his eyes. "He's going to do what he has to in order to keep them from receiving that disc."

Ziva started punching numbers into her phone. "He's driving a Mossad car. They have GPS tracking on it."

"We're definitely having a conversation about working for foreign governments," Vance growled.

"Shut up, Leon."

…

Abby rested her head in her arms on Fornell's desk. She'd been monitoring the computer for close to 12 hours. It was clear that McGee had no intention of contacting her, but there was little else she could do so she stayed close.

The beep shocked her and she sat up tall. She clicked open the screen and found a message. "Couldn't think of a way out and couldn't stand to see your lives be destroyed by your support for me. Don't expect you to forgive me. Just know that loving you was probably the best thing I ever did. Fornell should know that I met with the Iranians at the corner of Utah and 42nd outside of Baltimore. It might give him what he needs to find this terrorist cell. Tell him I will do what it takes to keep that disc out of their hands."

Tim

The message stole her breath. She looked up at the clock and saw it was 11:45 p.m. She grabbed the phone and called Fornell.

…..

McGee parked a block away from the meet. He had a locked briefcase next to him. It was filled with C4 explosive. He had the timer programmed into a burn phone he found in the house. This was only going to work if he played this with confidence. He didn't do undercover. Pretending wasn't as natural to him as it was for Tony. Tony would be able to walk any situation and command the space with whatever story he was selling.

McGee had to get in there, sell his story, and get close to the disc. At that point, he only had hit the timer, and they would all go up. It would take him and whoever else was in the room. The case carried that much C4. He told himself that anyone part of this transaction deserved to die and tried not to think too deeply about the morality of such an idea.

He took off a shoe, peeled off the sock and attached a small chip between his toes. Then he placed a locator with a note between the folds of the passenger seat. He knew that the meet would not be the place of final showdown. The Iranians had experienced spies. They would undoubtedly take him to another location nearby. He wanted to help Fornell find what remained of the terrorist cell. It would be his last act as a good federal agent.

He breathed out a ragged sigh. Two weeks ago, he was an upstanding federal agent proud of his work. Now he was a suicide bomber, and the thought left him sick. Would his friends and family ever really understand or would he die with his name still tarnished? More importantly, he wondered if they would ever be allowed to reclaim their lives.

He tried to imagine that he had some of Tony's creativity and Ziva's fearlessness. Then he imagined he could borrow Gibbs' focus. He looked at the console and the clock showed 12:02 a.m. He took a deep breath and started the car.

…..

Fornell drove the car carrying Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony. They couldn't risk Bayar's cover as a CIA informant so he stayed back with Vance and Purcell. Gibbs kept looking at his watch and then time was now 12:10 a.m. and they were still twenty minutes from the address Abby gave them. Sending police to the location would have disastrous. They would've had no context for what they were facing, and people would've gotten hurt.

Every once in a while, Gibbs cursed at Fornell about the speed he was driving, but the FBI agent studiously ignored him, running every red light he could safely traverse.

In the back, Tony had gone silent, staring out the window while Ziva leaned forward, offering unsolicited driving advice until Gibbs told her to shut up.

Fornell turned to Gibbs. "Kid should've called me. I would've helped him."

"How the hell would he know that?"

"He's known me for nine years, Jethro!"

"Well, the guy he knew for nine years handed him off to CID who treated him like he was Osama Bin Laden."

"I was following orders."

Gibbs glared at him. "I spent the last two days handcuffed to a table while the Army threatened me with everything they had. Try it sometime. See what it does for your state of mind."

"Hey! Is any of this helping Fornell drive faster?" Tony said sharply.

Gibbs threw him a look, Fornell gunned the motor, and no one did any more talking.

…

Two men descended on him at the meeting place. They patted him down for weapons, and took the Glock he had on his belt, and the knife he'd strapped to his calf. He remembered Gibbs telling him that when he was undercover, he wore multiple weapons for meets because once they found what they were expecting, they generally stopped looking further. It made him nervous to see them handling his phone and briefcase, but he had little choice and he'd been conservative enough in packing the briefcase so that it could handle some jostling. One of the men pushed him to open the briefcase, but McGee stubbornly insisted that he be taken to Omar Nasir.

They pushed him into a car and drove him only for only five minutes to a large gated property with six-foot hedges on all sides. He was pulled out of the car in at the entrance to a mansion, and walked up marble steps buffeted by his two less than genial companions. Inside, they directed him past a grand staircase and a space the size of a ballroom to a large living room. A man stood up and strode across the room.

"Ah, you must be Special Agent McGee! I've been watching your face on ZNN for two days now. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Omar Nasir."

McGee noted that the hand he was shaking was as cool and dry as his own was sweaty and hot.

Nasir gestured to a blonde sitting on a couch. "I believe you know Miss Patti Miller."

The woman turned her head toward him, her face sporting a black eye and a swelling lip.

"Sit down, Agent McGee. Let's see if we can't get to the bottom of exactly who has the disc I have spent so much money for."

….

DiNozzo rolled out of the car as soon as it stopped. He headed for the Mossad car he recognized. Gibbs jumped out, yelling. "Secure the damn scene first!"

Tony ignored him and began to jimmy the lock on the car. Guns drawn, Ziva and Fornell swept the scene looking for signs of McGee or the people he was meeting, but they found nothing but deserted street corner.

"They took him somewhere else," Gibbs said.

"How do we figure out where?" Ziva asked as she circled the area.

"I found something!" Tony was leaning into the car. "It's addressed to Fornell."

Gibbs grabbed the paper out of Tony's hand. He angled it so the streetlight could catch the print. "It says, Fornell, I didn't do this, but I'm going to end it. Use the locator. You should be able to find my body and whatever remains of a terrorist cell. McGee."

"Dammit, Boss. He's suicidal!"

Gibbs looked at Tony sharply. "He's sacrificing everything for his country. He's not suicidal; he's a soldier."

Ziva pulled the locator out of the car. "Let me call Abby and get her working on this."

Fornell pulled a bag from the backseat and looked through it. He looked at Gibbs. "He's going to blow everyone up."

Gibbs shook his head. "Tell Abby I need a location now!"

…

McGee stared at Nasir while his men patted him down again for a wire. Nasir waited until he was finished and then gestured for him to sit. "Ms. Miller here says you are a liar."

McGee turned to look at her and had to temper his reaction to her pain. He was as responsible for the beating she took as if he had thrown the punches himself, but he had to remind himself that she was committing treason. All of his old rules were dead. He had to be just as hard as the man in front of him. He looked at her as he spoke. "She stole the disc and made a fool of me, but I'm getting the last laugh. Patti, you stole the wrong disc."

Fear radiated off her. "What are you talking about? I've only met you once!"

McGee turned to Nasir. "I was in love with her. Before I met her, I was a good federal agent. Now, I'm being hunted by every law enforcement agency in the country and it's all her fault."

Nasir perched on the arm of a chair. "Tell me. I love to hear a good story."

"He's lying!" She was starting to hyperventilate.

Nasir snapped his fingers. "Put tape over her mouth and restrain her. I don't want to hear her talk anymore."

McGee relaxed. Most terrorists were fundamentalists of some kind. Muslim fundamentalists tended to think of women as inferior but suspicious creatures. He had hoped to tap into those prejudices.

Nasir waited until they taped Miller's mouth and then he nodded to McGee. "Tell me your story now."

"I was friends with hackers named Roomy and Escondido. They became involved with Patti. I couldn't believe their luck. I mean, she's really hot. I didn't realize she was using them for cybercrimes, but it was small time and she got frustrated. She heard about me, and decided to get close. I was vulnerable. Just passed over for a promotion and feeling underappreciated. I really thought she loved me."

Nasir chuckled. "Many a woman has led men down the path to destruction."

"Stealing missile codes was never something I planned to do, but she goaded me, questioned my skills. I had to show her just how good I was."

"Of course, my friend, you were pushed."

"The codes were too precious to be handled by anyone so I changed key features. I kept only one copy of the real codes. Patti didn't know and I didn't tell her for her own protection. I just thought she would see how special I was and we would run away together. I didn't even think about selling the codes. Then the FBI showed up and my life turned into a nightmare. All of a sudden, she didn't know who I was. It was then that I realized that she was the one who sold me out and she stole the disc I showed her."

"How did you get away?"

"They interrogated me for days. People who I thought were friends turned on me. It was horrible. I wouldn't give up Patti though. Still loved her too much. Then I found out she killed Roomy and I was the chief suspect. By that time, they were taking me out into the field, hoping I would cooperate and lead them to the disc. I took the first opportunity to run."

McGee gave Patti a look of revulsion. It was important to play this game to the end. She had tears streaming down her face. He looked away. Too much time looking at her would be seductive. He would feel sympathy and his façade would crumble. He couldn't do that. If the room blew like he hoped it would, she would be just another casualty.

"That's a sad story, my friend. If you had no intention of selling the codes, what brought you to me?"

McGee leaned forward. "I have to get out of the country and I've run out of ideas. I'm in a corner and you're the only way out. I'm only asking half what she was and safe passage to a country without an extradition treaty. Then I disappear. My country has turned against me and I don't have a choice but to leave."

"Well, Mr. McGee, you drive a hard bargain. Why should I believe your story?"

"Let me see the disc she sold you. I can show you that it's a fake. I brought the real disc. It's in the briefcase your men confiscated."

"Perhaps, I should just take the briefcase and have my men drop you off outside of FBI headquarters."

McGee worried his lip. It was getting tricky. "The case has C4 in it. If it's not handled carefully, it will explode. Not enough to hurt anyone but enough to destroy the disc. I'm the only one with the code to unlock it safely."

Nasir raised his eyebrows. "That was unexpected."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Of course not, Mr. McGee." Nasir snapped his fingers again. "Bring the case and put it in front of Mr. McGee."

"And I need my phone. Agah Bayar has agreed to provide confirmation of the disc's legitimacy. I met him through an extended interrogation a year ago. He won't deal in material this sensitive, but he expects a finder's fee for the referral."

Nasir threw back his head and laughed. "Always the good businessman."

McGee couldn't control the trembling in his fingers. "I need the disc Patti sold you to show in order to show you the it's a fake."

Nasir narrowed his eyes. "And you shall have it, but why jump right into business? I like you, Mr. McGee and I have an important question. If you prove your case, what should we do with Ms. Miller?"

McGee had to stop himself from wiping the sweat off his brow. "What do you mean?"

"If you and I make a deal, what should we do with the woman who betrayed you? Should we drop her at the mall or at a hair salon? What should we do?"

It was a test and McGee knew he had to get this right. "I loved her."

"She betrayed you to your country."

McGee closed his eyes. "I don't have the stomach for killing her. If I had my choice, we'd plant evidence on her and let her go through what I did."

Nasir nodded. "Good answer!"

Miller was struggling against her restraints, moaning loudly. McGee tried to ignore her, but it was impossible as Nasir was watching her like a curiosity at a zoo. Nasir nodded to one of his men. "Show Mr. McGee what we do when someone lies to us."

The man got up without hesitation, walked over to Miller, and pointed a gun into her face.

…..

"We need backup," Fornell hissed as he contemplated the gated mansion in front of them. "These hedges are so high, we don't know what we're facing."

Gibbs ignored him. Ziva and Tony had slipped out of the car and crawled along the hedges just moments earlier. He watched the darkness intently for a signal. For a few minutes, there was nothing and then the gate slowly creaked open.

"There's our invitation, Tobias." Gibbs spilled out of the car and headed toward the gate. Fornell cursed before following him.

Inside the gate, Gibbs found a man lying on the ground. Before he could check him for a pulse, Tony slipped out from around the bushes. He said, "Neutralized" before quietly leading Gibbs up to the mansion. He stopped in the shadows of the massive marble steps. "The Israeli is doing her ninja thing. We're waiting for her signal."

Then there was a tap on Gibbs' shoulder and he turned to find Ziva crouched behind him. She was in her element. Her hair hung wildly around her shoulders and her eyes were intense with the hunt. Then there was sound of footsteps and Ziva whipped out her gun as Fornell threw himself to the ground next to them. "I hate you people."

"You suck at this, Fornell," Tony growled.

"Shhh! Ziva, did you see anything?"

She nodded and pointed. "They are four windows down in this direction."

That moment, two shots rang out from inside the house.

….

He felt the splatter of her blood on land his face, and it was all he could do to not vomit. He slowly turned his head and saw Patti Miller slumped on the couch, blood pouring from two holes in her forehead. Her face still look terrified, even in death. McGee looked at Nasir. "Was that necessary?"

"I never had any intention of giving her 20 million, any more than I intend to give you 10 million."

"Why would I give you the real disc if you're only going to kill me?"

"Because I'm going to get you out of this country, and drop you in Syria with 1 million dollars. It's a struggling economy. You should do quite nicely there."

McGee nodded. "Okay. I'm in no position to haggle. I just need the disc she sold you, please."

Nasir walked over to the marble mantle over the fireplace and pulled the disc out of a box. "Work your magic, Mr. McGee. You do anything suspicious and my men will put fifty bullets in you."

McGee nodded. He took the disc and felt a surge of relief. All he had to do was dial the code into the phone and everything in the room would turn to dust. It would be the end to his last and most important mission.

He reached out with shaky hands. "The phone, please. The code to the case is in the phone."

Nasir nodded and one of his men pulled it out of their pocket and handed it to him. McGee allowed himself a moment to wipe the sweat from his face and then he started keying numbers.

Before he hit the 3rd number, there was a loud crash and DiNozzo jumped through the window rolling once and shooting at the two men behind McGee. Ziva followed, gun blazing. Nasir ducked behind a baby grand piano and McGee could see him pull out a weapon but he did nothing. He was only a spectator to this chaos. Nasir stood and pointed his gun at Ziva and McGee started to yell a warning when a single shot tore through Nasir's right eye. McGee turned his head and saw Gibbs in the doorway to the room, arm outstretched, gun as steady as a concrete pillar.

It was hard to take in the scene and process all the players. Tony started toward him but McGee put out a hand. "Stay back, Tony!"

Tony froze as did Ziva. Gibbs moved until he was in front of McGee. "Hey Tim, it's okay. You're safe. Take your hand off the phone."

McGee blinked at him. "I didn't plan for this."

"I know. You were in a tight spot, but it's okay now."

"I have the disc, the real disc. You found me with the Iranians. You think I really did this, don't you?"

Gibbs shook his head slowly. "We don't. Never."

"Doesn't matter if you believe me. They won't. They'll put me away. It's still a no win situation."

"I believe you, Tim." Fornell moved until he was beside Gibbs.

McGee shook his head slowly. "You're just saying that, Fornell. It looks bad. It all looks bad. I'm too tired to fight anymore. This solution is so elegant. It works out for everyone."

Gibbs looked at Tony and Ziva. "I want you out of the room. You too, Tobias. Tim and I need to talk."

"Boss!"

"Don't argue! I want a 75 yard radius on this now!"

Fornell, Tony, and Ziva slowly backed out of the room. Gibbs turned back to McGee. "Now, it's just you and me."

McGee shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you, Boss. Too many people need you."

"I'm not leaving you."

McGee's hand shook and he was breathing like a man finishing a long run.

"Listen up, Tim. Losing you is not an elegant solution. The idea is grotesque."

"You risked everything. My death means that you do not have to defend me anymore."

"Shut up, McGee! I know things are rough. Hell, I don't know how you've done it, but it would hurt us badly to lose you. You can't do it to us. You can't do it to your family."

Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Don't make me do this, Boss. I'm so tired. I can't do it anymore. I know what's going to happen once we leave here, and I can't do it. I don't want to live anymore…please Boss!"

"You're not going to be alone, Tim. I promise you. It's all out there. Once, all the pieces are sifted through, the truth will emerge and everything will be all right. You have to trust me."

McGee finally let the phone slip through his fingers, and then he leaned over as sobs wracked his body. Gibbs let out a relieved sigh and went over to his youngest agent. He wasn't much for comforting people, but somehow, it felt natural to put his arms around him and rock him.

…

It took a whole week of meetings filled with yelling, threats, lawyers, and forensics before NCIS, CID, and the FBI came to the conclusion that Timothy McGee was not a terrorist, and did not commit espionage against the United States.

CID agent Gorman was retired and all charges against McGee for assault were dropped. When Gorman threatened to take it to Civil Court, Purcell sat down with him and had a long talk about his pension. Gorman disappeared without a word after that.

During all of this, McGee sat in an isolation cell in a federal prison outside of Petersburg, Virginia. Fornell made sure Gibbs had access to him, and he made a point to go every day, but McGee said very little. He showed little reaction to the victories that Gibbs shared with him. He acted disconnected to the entire process.

McGee was seeing a psychiatrist who explained to Gibbs that he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Gibbs didn't need a shrink to tell him that. He'd seen men like this before. He'd seen some of them disappear into a bottle and never be the same. He'd seen others destroy themselves. He hadn't seen many recover the vitality they once had.

When he got the call that all charges had been dropped, he had a long talk with Vance, Ducky, and the psychiatrist. It took a lot of table thumping, but he finally got his way.

He picked up McGee from the prison, and drove him straight to an isolated beach house on the outer banks of North Carolina. The house was huge with 7 bedrooms. He didn't know whose it was or how Vance got it, but he felt that it was the least McGee deserved. He installed McGee in the bedroom next to his, and then waited as people started arriving. Everyone was under strict orders to be gentle with McGee and to give him space. Tony and Ziva came with Abby, and they brought bags and bags of groceries. Ducky and Jimmy had stopped at a liquor store and brought in cases of booze.

At some point in the afternoon McGee came out of his room, wandered past all of them politely accepting greetings, and then headed out to the dunes. He sat down near the surf and stared out into the ocean. Tony tried to follow but Gibbs and Ducky urged him to keep his distance. Tony found a spot 50 yards back and set up a vigil.

Thus, a pattern emerged. McGee ate when he was told and slept when he had to. The rest of the time, he sat on the beach and watched the water. He was never alone. When he woke early in the morning, Gibbs followed him out. When he was there late at night, Tony and Ziva watched him from a distance.

One of the big surprises was Jimmy Palmer. There was something about his unbridled sweetness that appealed to McGee, and he tended to sit near him during mealtimes. It was as if he was trying to remember that gentle nature within himself again. On the 3rd day, Gibbs sent Jimmy out to sit with McGee on the beach. Palmer prattled on for hours, but McGee showed no sign of annoyance. Jimmy made it a daily ritual to walk down and spend an hour or two with him.

On the fifth morning, Gibbs followed him out to the dunes and closed the distance. He sat down beside him and joined him in watching the surf.

Finally McGee turned to him. "I never get tired of the ocean. I love the sounds and the majesty. It's crazy. I come from seafaring men, but the minute I'm on a ship I get seasick."

Gibbs shrugged. "Lots of expectations in a seafaring family filled with Admirals."

McGee. "True."

"Have you talked to your dad?"

"Yeah. A couple of times. There's some sort of crisis and he's headed for the Indian Ocean as we speak."

"He's proud of you."

McGee looked away.

"I can hear the nightmares in my room, Tim."

"Sorry, Boss."

"Tell me about them."

McGee looked at him for a long minute. "Really?"

"Yup."

"I keep seeing Patti Miller's eyes as I sold her out to Nasir."

"She was a traitor to her country, Tim."

"She knew what was coming. She was so terrified, and I pounded the nails in her coffin. I lied and they killed her because of it."

"Do you regret it?"

McGee stared down at the sand. "No. I would do it again, but I never realized that I was the kind of man capable of doing that to someone else."

Gibbs stared out at the water. The sun had just crested the horizon and seagulls glided overhead waiting for a fish. "Tim, you're telling yourself that it makes you a bad guy, but the world needs good guys who are tough enough to make decisions like that too. I would've made the same decision. Fornell would've done the same and so would Vance, given the situation. We can't catch the bad guys unless we are willing to be as hard as they are. And being hard doesn't mean you're bad."

Tim winced and shook his head.

"What if you hadn't thrown her under the bus? Where would we be if the Iranians had that disc? The fallout would subtle at first, but it would've been profound and it would've been lasting."

"Was it the only way?"

"I don't know, Tim. If you'd have had six months to plan, maybe you could've come up with something else, but you had minutes and you were under excruciating pressure. You did what you could do with what you had, and you were brave and you were brilliant."

Tim looked at him. "Is this really over?"

"Yeah, Tim, it's over."

"CID isn't going to show up on my doorstep next week?"

"Purcell is so embarrassed by this thing that he'll be happy if he never has to hear your name again."

McGee let out an audible sigh of relief.

Gibbs worked his mouth for a moment before he asked his next question. "Tim, do you still think about wanting to die?"

McGee let out a breath. "The idea of it was the only possible relief to the situation. I saw it as my freedom, and I convinced myself that it was best for you as well."

"You're wrong about that."

He nodded. "When I have the nightmares, the idea comes to me again, and it's still powerful, but I can no longer convince myself its better for you. That holds me back."

Gibbs sighed. "Well, that's good enough for right now."

"Am I coming back?"

"To work? Hell yes, if I have anything to say about it."

"I'm glad everyone is here. I want to be normal. I want everyone to have fun. I just don't know how to be normal right now."

"It's okay. We can wait."

McGee nodded. Gibbs smiled and patted him on the back.

…..

That afternoon, Gibbs started sending Ziva and Tony down to sit with him. He tried to send Abby, but she was reluctant. In fact, he realized that she'd been strangely subdued the entire trip. When he asked her about it, she told him that she was scared that her energy would be too much for him. She felt like she had so many things she wanted to say and she worried it would overwhelm him.

The next morning when McGee got up to go down to the beach, Gibbs woke Abby and told her it was her job to follow him down. She did and when he checked on them hours later, she was holding him tightly and rocking him back and forth. Gibbs knew nothing of their conversation, but felt like it was the right kind of medicine for both of them. After that, sitting on the beach turned into long walks along the shore hand in hand with Abby. Gibbs looked on like a proud father.

On the last day, Tony challenged Ziva, Jimmy, Tim, and Abby to a kayaking race to one of the barrier islands and back. McGee begged off, but everyone else got excited about it. Being Tony, he spent most of the day trash talking his competitors, and boasting of his rowing prowess.

McGee, Gibbs, and Ducky gathered on the beach in the afternoon and cheered them on as they all launched their sea kayaks into the ocean. Abby made them laugh as she struggled to find even strokes. Palmer was without a competitive bone in his body, and so he slowed to urge Abby on. Ziva was focused and her kayak sliced through the water after Tony. They were neck and neck until they rounded the island, but when they came into view again, Tony was clearly in the lead. Adding insult to injury, he kept turning his head to provoke Ziva. Gibbs just shook his head at the spectacle.

Then there was a loud crack, and Tony's kayak glided to a stop. He raised his paddle and it was in two pieces. Ziva smiled as she surged past him. Tony sat there dead in the water, mouth open, with the paddles in pieces.

Ducky chuckled. "It couldn't have been scripted better."

Then McGee leaned over picking up a bag, and took out a handsaw and a bottle of Krazy glue. He held them up high, one in each hand. Tony saw them and yelled, "McGoo! You sabotaged me!"

McGee threw back his head and laughed. It was from the gut, and it startled them for a moment, like a sound you haven't heard in a long time. All the worry they'd been living with melted away in that moment. Then they all started laughing, even Tony. Palmer laughed so hard he upended his kayak, and Abby engaged him in an ill-conceived rescue mission that left them both in the water: their kayaks drifting away like forgotten children.

Tony started paddling furiously for the beach with his broken paddle yelling, "I'm coming for you, McTrickery! I'm coming for you!"

Ziva hit the beach and leaped out. She ran up to McGee and jumped into his arms. He twirled her around. When he set her down, Gibbs noticed that he had tears in his eyes. He reached over and patted McGee's back. "You okay, Tim?"

McGee rubbed at his face. "I think I might be, Boss. I think I might really be okay."

…

The End


End file.
